The Kiss That Did It
by thevinylfreak
Summary: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are caught kissing by Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy is forced to marry Elizabeth. Elizabeth notices her attraction sooner and their married life will have a lot of bumps (will improve summary later. The story itself is better than this, I promise.)
1. Chapter 1

Dusk was always a good time for a walk. The air was not oppressively hot, nor was it too chilly. Elizabeth walked along the road as the sun slowly sank behind the hills of Hertfordshire when her thoughts wandered aimlessly to Mr. Darcy. The mysterious man who had called her 'barely tolerable' had found his way into her mind like an uninvited guest and refused to leave despite her protests. She remembered when he had told her he was to leave for Derbyshire on some sort of business regarding his sister when they had danced together a week or so before. She forgot what business it was because she was far too focused on his eyes at the time, marveling at their color. She was amazed at the beauty held in his handsome blue eyes and could not tear her gaze from them, until he turned and left her company. She missed his touch on her hand when he had let go of it, and she swore she saw him flexing it as he strode away from her. Every bit of her had wished to follow him to wherever he was going, but she decided not to. Her stubbornness reminded her heart that he was too proud for her liking and had called her 'barely tolerable'.

Mr. Darcy was a mystery to her. If he was too proud for her and had hurt her own pride, why was she so obsessed with him? Why wouldn't he leave her mind? She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the sound of hooves, and when she turned, she screamed when she saw a large black horse flailing it's hooves at her.

"Duskany!" cried it's master, and the horse threw him. She heard the man yelp in pain and the horse ran a few trots in the opposite direction before coming to a halt. Elizabeth's eyes fell to its master, letting out a gasp when she realized whom its master was.

"Mr. Darcy!" cried Elizabeth, running to his side. She tripped over a large rock and fell on top of him, causing a second yelp of pain to escape his lips. "Oh, Mr. Darcy! I am terribly sorry!" She slid off of him and turned his face to look at her. "Mr. Darcy, are you all right?"

"M-Miss Elizabeth?" he asked, and Elizabeth nodded.

"It is I, Mr. Darcy... Now are you all right?"

"Miss Elizabeth..." He rested his head against hers, and Elizabeth wondered if he had his sense knocked out of him.

"Mr. Darcy, please..." She tried to push him off of her, but he rolled over, grabbed her face and kissed her. Elizabeth felt weak, unable to push him off, but she did not exactly want to either. He broke the kiss and looked at her, then his blue eyes widened in horror.

"Miss Elizabeth... Forgive me..." He quickly jumped up and tried to run off, but he doubled over and collapsed, his arms wrapped around his damaged torso.

"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth exclaimed, the kiss he had just bestowed upon her momentarily forgotten. "Mr. Darcy, please allow me to send for help!"

"I am fine, Miss Elizabeth. I insist," said Mr. Darcy, but Elizabeth paid him no heed. Despite her dislike of riding, she hopped onto his horse.

"Wait right here... I shall return shortly," said Elizabeth, and she quickly rode off. Mr. Darcy sat in amazement at her care for him, having previously thought she had hated him. While he was also humiliated at kissing her, he was thrilled that she had not turned him away. Mr. Darcy was not a stupid man; he knew he would not have been able to return to Netherfield on his own, and after kissing Elizabeth, he was certain that he would have been abandoned, possibly leaving him to die. The fact that she even overcame her dislike of horses for him made him fall even more in love with her.

Elizabeth rode as if Death itself were on her heels to Netherfield, leaping off of the horse as soon as she arrived and running into the mansion without giving her name. She demanded to know where Mr. Bingley was, and when she was informed that he and his sisters and brother-in-law were in the parlor, she burst into the door. "Mr. Bingley, you must come quickly!" she exclaimed. Mr. Bingley, Mr. Hurst, Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley all looked at her absolutely horrified at her unannounced entrance.

"How improper!" cried Miss Bingley. "Out with you!"

"Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy is hurt! Please come to him!" Elizabeth exclaimed, ignoring Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley gasped and Mr. Bingley leapt up.

"Mr. Darcy hurt? Oh, dear..." said Miss Bingley in a deceivingly upset tone.

"Where is he?" asked Mr. Bingley, rushing to Elizabeth in a few strides.

"About a mile up the road... His horse threw him and I believe him to have broken something," said Elizabeth.

"How did you get here so fast?" asked Mr. Bingley.

"I rode his horse here," said Elizabeth, not even thinking of her dislike of horses.

"I need the carriage immediately!" cried Mr. Bingley, then he turned to Elizabeth. "Wait here, Miss Bennet. I will have him here shortly." He ran out of the house and yelled at the servants to hurry with the carriage, then drove it himself with one of the servants about a mile up the road, where Mr. Darcy lay with labored breathing. He was nearly unconscious when Mr. Bingley arrived, and when he saw his fallen friend, he leapt off of the carriage and knelt down next to Mr. Darcy. "Darcy! Darcy, are you all right?"

"Miss Elizabeth?" said Mr. Darcy weakly.

"By God, he needs medical help immediately," said Mr. Bingley to his servant. "Run off and get the doctor. As fast as you can! I will take Mr. Darcy back to Netherfield." The servant did as he was told as Mr. Bingley lifted Mr. Darcy into the carriage. To assure he was safe, he laid him down on the floor of the carriage. When Mr. Bingley arrived, Elizabeth and Miss Bingley were standing outside.

"Stand aside, Miss Bennet," said Miss Bingley, but Elizabeth shoved her aside and ran to Mr. Bingley's side as he was pulling Mr. Darcy out of the carriage. Mr. Darcy was now unconscious, and Mr. Bingley held him in his arms.

"Did you call for a doctor?" asked Elizabeth, trotting beside Mr. Bingley as he ran with Mr. Darcy into the house.

"Yes, the doctor must be on his way by now," said Mr. Bingley. He and Elizabeth ran to Mr. Darcy's room, Miss Bingley tailing behind them, and Mr. Bingley set Mr. Darcy down on the bed. "Caroline, fetch me some water. Miss Bennet, if you don't mind, I must ask you to leave so I can change him into his nightshirt." Elizabeth reluctantly agreed and waited for the doctor to arrive. When he did, Mr. Bingley joined her in the hallway so the doctor could tend to Mr. Darcy. "Thank you for alerting me, Miss Bennet, even if it was in a most improper way."

"Even if you personally carried me out kicking and screaming, I would have dragged you to Mr. Darcy's side," said Elizabeth. "How is he, Mr. Bingley?"

"Still unconscious, Miss Bennet, but I believe that he shall live," said Mr. Bingley.

"You are very loyal to him, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth.

"He is the closest thing that I have ever had to a brother, save Mr. Hurst, but what use is he other than eating every bit of food in his sight? Forgive me, I should not speak so negatively about my sister's husband..."

"When did you meet him?"

"Mr. Hurst? Or Darcy?"

"Mr. Darcy."

"A long time ago, Miss Bennet. I met him in London, perhaps when I was nineteen. I am now seven and twenty, so it must be eight years ago. Darcy was eighteen at the time, but still a very strong man, especially for his age. I was being hassled by some ruffians and it was Darcy who came to my rescue. He fought them off and carried me home, as I had been injured. He stayed with me until he knew I would be all right. He left no address, but when I heard his name, I knew he lived at Pemberley. I called on him to give my thanks, and we spent the day in his library talking and drinking brandy. Our friendship has been developing ever since. I remembered the sense of urgency he had had when I was injured, so I knew that I needed to possess the same in his time of need."

"Mr. Darcy has a heart?" Mr. Bingley laughed.

"Of course he does. The man I met in London is the man he really is. What you have seen of him and all my sister knows of him is the cold protective shell he has built around himself."

"For your sake, I hope he recovers quickly."

"Thank you, Miss Bennet. For your sake, I hope he does as well." Elizabeth did not feel the blush on her cheeks, but they were interrupted by the doctor exiting Mr. Darcy's room.

"How is he?" demanded Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley together.

"He has several broken ribs, but he will recover. He was conscious when I left," said the doctor, and Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley burst into Mr. Darcy's room together.

"Darcy! How are you?" Mr. Bingley demanded.

"Settle down, Bingley. I am fine," said Mr. Darcy.

"You could have died! Darcy, you're the closest thing I have to a brother and I can't let you go!" Mr. Bingley exclaimed, sitting on his bed next to him.

"I appreciate the affection, Bingley. Honestly, I do," said Mr. Darcy.

"Miss Bennet and I were both frightened out of our minds... We were both, I dare say, afraid of losing you." He looked at Elizabeth. "I do hope I am not speaking for myself..." He turned his gaze back to Mr. Darcy. "I swear it, Darcy, you'll be the death of me." He got up and embraced his closest friend tightly.

"Easy, Bingley... The doctor says I have several broken ribs," said Mr. Darcy.

"Certainly. I ought to go and assure Caroline, Louisa and Mr. Hurst that you are all right. Miss Bennet, I shall leave you to watch over him," said Mr. Bingley. He kissed her brow and quickly left the room, leaving Elizabeth standing alone in Mr. Darcy's gaze. When she met his blue eyes, she felt her legs go weak, and she had to sit down in a nearby chair.

"Miss Elizabeth, please bring that chair beside me and sit," said Mr. Darcy to her.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy, I assure you that I am quite fine where I am," said Elizabeth.

"I insist." Elizabeth did as he asked and he took her hand and kissed it. "I must thank you, Miss Elizabeth, for you possibly saved my life by fetching Mr. Bingley." Elizabeth blushed.

"Really, Mr. Darcy, it was nothing..."

"To me, it was more than nothing. Much, much more, and you will forever have my gratitude."

"Oh, Mr. Darcy..."

"Miss Elizabeth." He sat up and drew nearer.

"Mr. Darcy, you will hurt yourself even more-" Mr. Darcy's gaze silenced her. He thought that, if he had gotten away with kissing her once, he could get away with kissing her again. While rather ungentlemanly, he truly did not care. He placed his hand on the base of her neck and pressed his lips to hers. Elizabeth did not fight him, but instead, she melted into the kiss. Meanwhile, Miss Bingley had returned with a basin of water for Mr. Darcy when she walked in on them kissing. She gasped, but neither heard her, and she ran to her brother.

"Charles! You must see what Miss Bennet has done to Mr. Darcy!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Mr. Bingley shouted in anger, and he stormed into Mr. Darcy's room. "Miss Bennet! Out of the goodness of my heart, I allow you to st-" His words were cut off when he witnessed Mr. Darcy kissing Elizabeth. Even he noticed that it wasn't Elizabeth who did the kissing. Mr. Darcy broke the kiss and looked at Mr. Bingley absolutely shocked, and Elizabeth looked absolutely horrified. She buried her face in her hands and started to sob.

"It was I who kissed her!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed to protect Elizabeth. "She had nothing to do with it..."

"Darcy... You have just been observed compromising Miss Bennet!" Mr. Bingley exclaimed.

"Yes, but you will not say a thing," said Mr. Darcy with full trust in his friend, pulling Elizabeth closer and trying to console her. She pulled herself from his touch and strode to the other side of the room, her back to him.

"Darcy, it was not I who saw it first. Caroline did, and she will talk," said Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Darcy let out a sigh. "I am sure you understand what that means..."

"Yes, I do... It means I shall have to marry Miss Elizabeth."

* * *

Elizabeth prayed that her father would deny Mr. Darcy her hand, when he could finally stand and make the trip to Longbourn, but when Mr. Darcy greeted her in the parlor, she knew that he had indeed gotten his consent. "Miss Elizabeth, it is up to you to select our wedding date," said Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth pushed past him to go into the library. Her father would not speak of it and asked that she leave him alone, and when she returned to the parlor, she found that Mr. Darcy had left. She would have liked to put the wedding off as long as possible, but by the time Mrs. Bennet convinced Elizabeth to make it sooner, the wedding was three weeks away. Elizabeth wanted as much solitude as she could possibly gain, but accepted Jane's company whenever it was offered.

Mr. Darcy occasionally called on her during the three weeks before their wedding, usually just to see how she was faring. Elizabeth usually answered him coldly and pretended not to see the heartbreak in his eyes. When he called, his visits were short, and he never stayed for dinner.

On the evening before the wedding, Mr. Bennet called Elizabeth into the library to see him. Elizabeth wondered if he despised her for getting into such an improper marriage, but he seemed as caring as he always had. "I am sure, Lizzie, you are wondering why you have been called in here," he asked his daughter. Elizabeth nodded. "I must ask you if you believe yourself ready to be the mistress of the various Darcy estates."

"Not even a little," said Elizabeth. "I wish he had never kissed me... I wish I had been smart enough to stop him."

"Lizzie, there is no use in regretting the past. What is done is done, and you will be marrying Mr. Darcy tomorrow."

"I wish I wasn't."

"I understand. When he spoke to me, he sounded very much in love with you. He will, I believe, stop at nothing to make you happy."

"Well, he never will." Mr. Bennet knew his daughter and her stubbornness well, so he had no doubts in Mr. Darcy's words.

The wedding was a quiet one, and certainly not a happy one. Elizabeth would not look Mr. Darcy in the eye, and she muttered her vows quietly. She had not the happy look the usual bride would have when the pastor announced her as Mrs. Darcy, and she did not accept Mr. Darcy's aid when he attempted to hand her into the carriage. They sat in silence for an hour before Mr. Darcy finally spoke. "Surely, you must not be holding such a grudge against me, Mrs. Darcy," he said to his newlywed wife.

"I had never said anything of holding it against you, Mr. Darcy," answered Elizabeth, not removing her gaze from the window.

"I must remind you that I had bestowed two kisses upon your lips. Not once did you tell me to stop."

"I knew you would not have listened to me."

"Do not accuse me of such a thing!" Elizabeth looked at him. "I would never bestow something upon you that you did not want!"

"I did not want this wedding!"

"We had no choice! It was either we marry or you spend the rest of your life unable to catch a decent husband due to the actions you committed with me. I would have gotten away easily, but you would have been the one to suffer. I married you for your own sake whether you enjoy it or not. Many women would be thrilled to be in your place!"

"Then let them! I wish not to be in this place that I have been forced in!"

"I would have it no other way, Elizabeth. I either must be married to you or remain a bachelor until my death." Elizabeth was silent, unable to think of a response. She instead looked out of the window, and Mr. Darcy did the same. Both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy looked very forlorn.


	2. Chapter 2

The air had a salty scent to it; the sound of water lapping against the side of a large object permeated her ears. Elizabeth did not know when she had fallen asleep, but when she woke up, Mr. Darcy was carrying her up a wooden ramp. He had yet to notice that she had awakened in his arms, but when she turned her head to see where she was, she felt herself being set on her feet.

"I apologize, Mrs. Darcy," said Mr. Darcy when she turned her gaze to him. "I did not wish to wake you." Elizabeth did not say anything and looked around at her surroundings, finding herself on a wooden ship. She looked back to where Mr. Darcy was standing, but he was gone, probably having followed the servants to the chambers. She reached the bulkhead of the ship, running a finger over the fine grains, and looked over the edge at the water. Her eyes scanned the surface until she came across something carved into the bulkhead. It looked like something in French, but she could not make it out properly.

"Le... Le Re..." she muttered under her breath.

"_Le Rêveur,_" said Mr. Darcy behind her, and Elizabeth gasped.

"Mr. Darcy! You frightened me!" she exclaimed.

"I apologize, Mrs. Darcy. I should have made my presence known sooner," said Mr. Darcy.

"The name... What does it mean?"

"_Le Rêveur_? 'The Dreamer' in French."

"Why are we on a French ship?"

"I thought for our honeymoon, you might enjoy the French coast."

"I have never been..."

"Then I believe you will enjoy it very much, Mrs. Darcy." Elizabeth did not respond but instead stood on the deck beside her husband, waiting for the ship to sail. Rather than standing, Mr. Darcy suggested a promenade, and with her arm in his, they circled the deck. Elizabeth would not look him in the eye, as she was still rather upset with him, and she failed to notice the sigh that escaped his lips. They walked in silence for an hour before Elizabeth finally could not stand it any longer.

"Miss Bingley did not talk," she said.

"She did," said Mr. Darcy.

"I heard not a word of gossip, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth.

"Just because she did not gossip to the wrong people does not mean she did not gossip, Mrs. Darcy," said Mr. Darcy.

"Why, whatever do you mean? Who are the right people?" She pulled her arm from his.

"My aunt. Lady Catherine de Bourgh, a rather influential woman that you must not have heard of. She is prominent in higher society."

"And what exactly are you saying, Mr. Darcy?" She was very angry now, and Mr. Darcy closed his eyes for a moment.

"I am not saying anything, Mrs. Darcy. Might we continue our promenade?"

"We may not. You, sir, are the most arrogant, irritating, haughty, conceited creature I have _ever_ had the indecency to meet!"

"My dear Mrs. Darcy, perhaps you must rest. I fear you are still quite the emotional bride."

"Oh, why you rude, proud thing, you..." She stormed away from him and found a crew member, demanding the location of her chamber. He agreed to show her to it, and when she was out of sight, Mr. Darcy leaned against the bulkhead and sighed. He closed his eyes against the wind, trying to pretend that the breeze that was lifting his hair was his Elizabeth's fingers, but he could not. She simply loathed him too much for even the thought to be possible.

* * *

Mr. Darcy joined Elizabeth in her chamber for dinner, but she did not eat and was silent the entire time. As Mr. Darcy bid his wife goodnight, she finally spoke. "What about the wedding night?"

"I... I beg your pardon, Mrs. Darcy?" he asked his wife, rather confused. He was quite unsure if he had heard her properly.

"I said, what about the wedding night?" Elizabeth repeated.

"I... I did not think that you..." Mr. Darcy stumbled over his words, very surprised by her question.

"Who am I to deny you your marital rights, Mr. Darcy?"

"Elizabeth... If you do not want to..."

"I am asking you, am I not, Mr. Darcy? Is it nerves I sense in your tone?" He shook off his surprise.

"Absolutely not. If you would like to... Consummate our marriage, then... Then we shall..." He closed the door to her chamber and returned to her side. "Elizabeth, are you sure?"

"It must be done eventually."

"Dearest, I do not want it to be a chore for you..."

"Mr. Darcy, I am taking your hesitation as nerves."

"I have not a single reason to possess such nerves."

"Your eyes tell a different story." He looked away. "Mr. Darcy, it is all right."

"Mrs. Darcy, I do not think..."

"Mr. Darcy, do tell me you do not fear what most men think of often, whether they are gentlemen or not."

"I do not!"

"Then why display hesitation?"

"I am not!" He stood. "If this is how it will be, then I will not comply. Goodnight, Mrs. Darcy." He strode to the door.

"I never knew Fitzwilliam Darcy to be a coward." He stopped in his tracks, then turned to her, an angry look on his face. Elizabeth was smirking from the delight of tormenting him.

"Very well... Have it your way..."

* * *

Elizabeth awoke the next morning with a dull pain in regions she preferred not to think of. She expected to find Mr. Darcy snoozing quietly beside her, but she was rather surprised to not have. She let out a sigh and fell back onto her pillow, covering her face with her hands. "Oh, why, why did I let my curiosity get the better of me?" she asked herself. She most certainly was curious about what went on the marriage bed, and that she could not deny. She did not deny that she found it rather enjoyable either, but she reminded herself of Mr. Darcy's cruel and harsh treatment of her. She rose and, with the help of her lady's maid, dressed to meet her husband on the upper deck.

The skies above her were rather dark and ominous and the wind whipped harshly around her. She was almost surprised when Mr. Darcy took her arm in his. "Mrs. Darcy, I thought I told your lady's maid to keep you in your chamber?" he asked his bride.

"She did not inform me of this, sir," said Elizabeth, her eyes to the sky. "Are we to experience a storm?"

"Perhaps nothing more than devilish wind and a splatter of rain," said Mr. Darcy.

"At least we are not far from land," said Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy brought her hand to his lips.

"My dearest, we have caught strong winds and are much further out to sea than we ought to be. I believe us to be somewhere a few miles off of the coast of Ireland."

"I am sure Ireland is quite nice..."

"Mrs. Darcy, according to our good king, the Irish are swine and dirt unfit for the bottoms of our shoes."

"Perhaps that is not true, Mr. Darcy?"

"I knew an Irishman once who was reliable. They flogged him for it, England did."

"Flogged?"

"I do not wish to open your eyes to such terrors, my Elizabeth." Elizabeth knew that whatever flogging was, it could not have been good. "Have faith in _Le Rêveur_, my dear Mrs. Darcy." He pressed his lips to her brow. "Come, we can sit on the promenade deck." She followed him to a chair, where he instructed her to sit, and together, they watched the storm develop.

"Mr. Darcy, do you not think we ought to be returning to our chambers?" Elizabeth asked her husband after fifteen minutes.

"Perhaps you should, Mrs. Darcy," said Mr. Darcy.

"And not you?" asked Elizabeth, standing. She almost lost her balance when the ship took to heavy rocking.

"My dear, I beg you to return to your chamber! I shall follow suit shortly!" Mr. Darcy shouted over the wind as the ship tilted in the other direction, forcing Elizabeth back into the chair. She held on tightly while Mr. Darcy flailed his arms to find his balance, and when the ship tilted back, Mr. Darcy fell over the edge, hanging on tightly to the bulkhead.

"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth cried, running to the bulkhead. She tried so hard to hold onto him, but he let go of her before he pulled her into the sea. The last thing she saw of him were his frightened blue eyes disappearing into the stormy waters below. "Mr. Darcy! No! Someone help! Mr. Darcy has fallen overboard!" A crew rushed to attempt to recover Mr. Darcy from the stormy seas below, and Elizabeth held on tightly to the bulkhead.

"Mrs. Darcy! You must come!" cried a sailor, but Elizabeth ripped herself from his arms.

"No! Not until they recover Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth cried, grabbing onto the bulkhead again. She watched the waves below, her eyes never leaving the spot where Mr. Darcy had fallen what felt like minutes before, but when Elizabeth felt a tap on her shoulder, she realized that it was dusk and the storm had calmed.

"Mrs. Darcy, I am terribly sorry," said the soldier in a somber tone. "We were unable to recover Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth stared at him for a moment, unable to comprehend exactly what had just happened.

"Un... Unable to... Excuse me, I... I must rest... Mr. Darcy wished for me to rest and... And I must..." said Elizabeth, a blank look on her face. "Do tell my husband where I am if he asks."

"But... Mrs. Darcy, I... I just informed you that we had been unable to recover him..." said the sailor, very confused.

"Surely, you must not be looking in the right places, sir. Mr. Darcy can sometimes be difficult to find," said Elizabeth, and she began her journey to her cabin, the other crew members looking on somberly. "I must be off to bed... Goodnight, all of you."


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth was escorted of of Le Rêveur at a port in Ireland the following day, then sent on a ship back to England. The entire time, she spoke as if Mr. Darcy were only on a trip that only temporarily removed him from her company, and the crew began to fear for her sanity. It was not until she returned to Longbourn a week after the disappearance of Mr. Darcy that her insanity broke. As soon as she crossed the threshold of her childhood home, she collapsed onto the floor sobbing into her hands.

"Lizzie!" cried her sister, Jane, embracing her sister's sobbing form. "Lizzie, what is it? What could be troubling you? Oh, where is Mr. Darcy..."

"Have you not heard, Jane?" asked Elizabeth through her tears.

"Whatever do you mean, Lizzie?" Elizabeth wiped her eyes with handkerchief she had taken from Mr. Darcy's luggage on the ship.

"M-Mr. Darcy, he... He perished at sea..." she finally said, and she burst into tears.

"Oh, Lizzie!" Jane exclaimed, hugging her sister.

"Mr. Darcy is dead? Lizzie, you are a widow now!" Lydia exclaimed.

"A widow? She will have to wear all black now!" Kitty exclaimed.

"A widow? Who is a-" said Mrs. Bennet from down the hall. Her footsteps approached, and she halted when she saw her second eldest daughter on the floor in tears. "Oh, Lizzie! Mr. Darcy!"

"Oh, please! Just leave me alone!" Elizabeth shouted, and she ran up to her bedchamber and slammed the door.

"Mama!" Jane exclaimed. "She is grieving! You must not disturb her!"

"Oh, dear... Mr. Bennet will be devastated to know..." said Mrs. Bennet. It did not take long for the news of Mr. Darcy's untimely death - and Elizabeth's early widowhood - to spread. Charlotte Lucas, a close friend of Elizabeth's since childhood, came to pay her condolences, but Elizabeth would not see her. Mr. Bingley was rumored to have left the country, which was confirmed by Miss Bingley's letter to Jane. No mention of condolences to Mrs. Darcy for her loss were mentioned. A fortnight after Elizabeth's return to Longbourn, a letter reached the family from a Mr. Collins, the man who was to inherit the estate after Mr. Bennet's death. He was to join the family for dinner and pay his condolences to his dear cousin, Mrs. Darcy, and accompanying him was Mr. Darcy's aunt herself, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Elizabeth would not come down for dinner, despite Jane and Mrs. Bennet's many protests, and Mr. Bennet decided that it would be best for all to let her be in her mourning.

"She has no right to be mourning my nephew," said Lady Catherine, cloaked in black herself.

"Lady Catherine, I beg your pardon, but my daughter did indeed marry your nephew," said Mr. Bennet.

"Out of shame! She had shamed him into proposing by kissing him! How dare she?" exclaimed Lady Catherine.

"She did not!" exclaimed Jane, standing.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Bennet!"

"My sister was not the one to kiss your nephew. It was he that kissed her. Mr. Bingley himself said so."

"Jane, please..." whispered Mrs. Bennet.

"Absolutely not, Mama! I shall not allow this woman to insult my grieving sister! She mourns Mr. Darcy and cries for him daily. You do not know her true pain until you have heard her calling for him in the night!"

"I will not be spoken to in such a shameful way!"

"Then you shall leave. We will not mourn the loss of your company. I beg your pardon, but we are far too busy grieving the loss of our brother and son."

"You have no right to defile the ancient name of Darcy!"

"Then I give you all of the responsibility to defile it yourself. Goodbye, Lady Catherine." Elizabeth stood in the doorway, having finally decided to leave her bedroom in favor of company. She was amazed at Jane's sudden change of character, and suddenly she wondered when Jane had last seen or heard from Mr. Bingley.

"Ah! She who defiles the very name itself has decided to join us," said Lady Catherine rather smugly. Elizabeth was dressed to her neck in black, unable to reveal any more due to her depth in widowhood. Elizabeth was dabbing her eyes with Mr. Darcy's handkerchief.

"Lady Catherine, I beg you to leave my sister be," said Jane, rushing to Elizabeth's side.

"Not until she agrees to certain arrangements that strip her of any benefits she may have gotten in her marriage to my nephew," said Lady Catherine. It was Mr. Bennet's turn to step in.

"Lady Catherine, while the presence of your ladyship is honorable to our home, I must ask you to remove it. My dear daughter has suffered enough and I do not wish her to suffer more," he said.

"You shameful clan, all of you! How dare you defile the Darcy name? I must leave this horrible gutter immediately," said Lady Catherine.

"Then my wish has been granted. Good day to you, Lady Catherine," said Mr. Bennet as Lady Catherine left. They all heard her carriage pull away, and Elizabeth sat on the stairs and let out a cry.

"Oh, what must I do to satisfy anyone?" she cried.

"Oh, Lizzie... Come, we must go for a walk," said Jane, trying to pull her sister to stand.

"It is not proper and I do not wish to!" Elizabeth shouted at her, and she ran up to her bedchamber again.

* * *

It was another two weeks before Elizabeth really came downstairs at all. She frightened Lydia and Kitty with her highly disheveled and unrested appearance, so Jane was quick to pull her into the parlor to speak with her privately. "Lizzie, please, you must speak to me," she said to her sister, sitting her down on the sofa.

"I do not understand it..." Elizabeth murmured.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Jane.

"This! My reaction to Mr. Darcy's sudden demise! I am sure he thought that when he met his death, I would be rejoiced. To be honest, I thought myself to be something rather similar, if not rejoiced, but I am not! I am devastated and I do not know why!"

"Why, Lizzie, is it not obvious? You may not think it, but perhaps you love him after all!"

"Oh, Jane, that is impossible... I could not stand his presence and every word that left his lips towards me was intended to sting me!"

"Oh, Lizzie, that is not true. You know that is not true."

"Then perhaps it is... Oh, never you mind."

"What is it, Lizzie?"

"Jane, I... I do not quite know, but something is not right..."

"Go one..."

"Jane, I... I believe that I am with child..."

"Lizzie!"

"I was married to him! Who was I to deny him his marital rights?"

"I am not saying so to scold, Lizzie! I am saying so in joy! Oh, Lizzie! A child! And Mr. Darcy's! Oh, it will be a handsome child, will it not? It is a part of you and a part of Mr. Darcy!"

"Jane, I am not quite as handsome as you..."

"Oh, but you are! Do not allow Mama's words to penetrate your opinions of yourself. They did not penetrate Mr. Darcy's."

"Jane, what am I to do? Say I am with child... How am I to raise a child on my own? All on my own? And Mr. Darcy's child, of all things!"

"Dearest Lizzie, you know that I will always be by your side." Elizabeth allowed a smile to stretch onto her face and she took her sister's hand.

"I appreciate it, Jane... I shall need your help now more than ever. Now I must rest, for I fear that I have overexerted myself far too much today."

* * *

Before Elizabeth knew it, three months had passed, and she was beginning to show in her pregnancy. Lydia and Kitty were fascinated by it and could not wait for the baby to arrive, claiming to dress it in the prettiest of clothes and ribbons that they could possibly find. "Oh, but what if it is a boy?" Elizabeth would ask them.

"Then we shall find the handsomest of things for him to wear," Lydia would reply, and she and Kitty would giggle and chatter away about the baby. Mrs. Bennet constantly fussed over Elizabeth, insisting that she eat and rest plenty throughout the day for the health of her grandchild, which only caused Elizabeth to laugh. Laughing at her family fussing over Mr. Darcy's child was very good for her, Jane thought, and she encouraged Lydia, Kitty and Mrs. Bennet's antics regarding the baby. Despite Elizabeth's laughter during the day, nothing stopped her from crying herself to sleep every night. Often, she thought she saw Mr. Darcy's silhouette against the window, but she concluded that she had, indeed, gone insane due to Mr. Darcy's early demise, and she cursed him for making her so. Even though she occasionally cursed him due to possible insanity, she wondered at the marvel of lovers' tales in which the lover dies and at night, leaves his living mate a kiss in the night, allowing her to awaken the following morning feeling his warm kiss on her lips. Elizabeth had not once felt that way, but concluded that her opinion on the subject was also a result of her insanity.

Sometime during Elizabeth's fourth month into her pregnancy, Mr. Bingley called on the Bennets, asking to speak with Mrs. Darcy privately. He was granted his wish and met with the widowed Mrs. Darcy in the drawing room. "Mrs. Darcy, how do you fare?" he asked her.

"I believe that I am fine, Mr. Bingley. I thank you for inquiring. How do you fare? I understand that you and Mr. Darcy were close," said Elizabeth.

"Yes, Mrs. Darcy. I am sure you recall when I told you of our meeting five months ago," said Mr. Bingley, and Elizabeth nodded.

"I do..."

"I have come to bring my condolences. I understand that you and Mr. Darcy were barely acquainted, given your circumstances, but I understand also that you were fond of him, to some degree."

"Fond of him, you say?"

"Indeed. Your gaze on him escaped no one, Mrs. Darcy, nor was his on you." Elizabeth blushed slightly and looked at her feet.

"Forgive me, but how are you doing? With Darcy's child, I mean..."

"Quite well. There have been no troubles yet. I fear this child will end up just like him."

"From what I know of Darcy, ma'am, that would be a very good thing. Darcy was a great man; a man like no other I have ever known. I, too, am fond of him, but to a different degree. I have always thought of him as a brother to me."

"He must have been very good friend to deserve such a title from such a man as yourself, Mr. Bingley."

"I appreciate that compliment, Mrs. Darcy... Now... I must ask something of you... I understand that you shall be a widowed mother to a child of a man you barely knew. I can imagine the challenge that would pose to you, and I must know it, perhaps, so Darcy can rest easy... I want to be able to take care of you for him, as he cannot. Mrs. Darcy, when the proper amount of time has passed and the child has been born, will you allow me to take your hand in marriage?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr. Bingley... I... Mr. Bingley..." Elizabeth took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "An honorable friend, you truly are, and deathly loyal. I believe the phrase, 'till death do us part' applies better to you and Mr. Darcy than it did to he and I. It is dreadfully loyal of you to give up your affections of Jane to take care of me for Mr. Darcy's sake, but I assure you that I shall be well settled. Mr. Darcy was not a poor man, and I should have no trouble." Mr. Bingley smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

"Bless your heart, Mrs. Darcy. You may not think Mr. Darcy deserved you, but do believe me when I say that he did. You and an unselfish and kind heart and I beg the Lord to bless your worthy soul with years of joy and happiness until you are to retake your place at Darcy's side," said Mr. Bingley. He took both of her hands in his and kissed them. "My sister was wrong about you. She was more wrong than I could ever begin to imagine. God be with you! Goodnight, my dear Mrs. Darcy." He kissed her brow and took his leave, Jane almost in tears. When she entered the drawing room, Elizabeth took her sister into his arms.

"Mr. Bingley must be the most loyal man I have ever known," Jane said through her tears.

"Then it is not upset you are, Jane?" asked Elizabeth.

"No... I am crying tears of joy! It makes me dreadfully happy to see a man so loyal to his closest friend..." said Jane, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. They spent a few days marveling over Mr. Bingley's honorable action, Elizabeth insisting that he would propose to Jane and Jane simply being far too modest to comply. It was the third day after Mr. Bingley's visit and honorable proposal that a caller was announced. The doorman, James, entered the room with a bow.

"Mr. Darcy, ma'am," he said, and Elizabeth and Jane's heads shot up in shock.

"Mr. Darcy?" they both cried in utter confusion, their eyes falling on the tall and well-dressed figure slowly walking into the room.

"Mrs. Darcy, Miss Bennet," he said with a bow. Elizabeth's head suddenly clouded and she was unable to process any event that had been going on that evening. She was so shocked and her face must have paled so quickly, for she almost immediately fainted. Mr. Darcy was there to catch his fallen wife before she had hit the floor and he lifted her with ease. "Miss Bennet, do ask your lady's maid to change her into something far more comfortable. I will take her to her room and rest her on her bed." Jane nodded, her eyes wide with shock and never leaving Mr. Darcy's form. Her eyes followed him up the stairs as he carried his unconscious bride up the stairs and when he disappeared, she fetched the maid, Miss Stanton, to do as Mr. Darcy had requested. She waited for him to return in the drawing room.

"Mr. Darcy... You... you are not..." Jane stuttered as her brother-in-law entered the room.

"Miss Bennet, allow me to greet you as a brother," said Mr. Darcy, and he kissed her brow.

"But... But how? Lizzie said you..."

"Fell over the edge of the bulkhead? Yes, that I did do."

"How did you survive?"

"It is a long story... Do sit, so I can recount every detail." Jane sat down on the sofa and Mr. Darcy in an armchair. He cleared his throat, and began his story.

* * *

_The stormy seas, despite the time of year, were not warm, and Mr. Darcy's body cooled rather quickly - perhaps too quickly, for he was not conscious for very long. All he remembered of the rough and stormy seas were seeing Elizabeth's helpless eyes watching him fall after she tried to save him and his numerous calls for his love. All he could think about was the last look that he saw cross Elizabeth's face when he fell - was it a look of love? It certainly was a look of true worry, which he thought he would never see cross her handsome face. Her frightened expression was the last thing he remembered before unconsciousness took him over._

_When he awoke, he felt grains of sand beneath his fingers. He dug his fingers into the sand, expecting the sand to be hard and wet, but was very surprised to find that the sand was warm and dry. Behind him, some distance away, he heard the waves crashing on the shore. 'It must be low tide', he thought, and he opened his eyes to find himself immediately blinded. He let out a cry and shielded his eyes from the bright light ahead of him and rolled onto his back. As his eyes adjusted, he made out the form of someone standing above him. He squinted his eyes to get a better look and saw that a child had been standing over him._

_"Are ye all'ight, sir?" asked the child in a seemingly Irish accent._

_"Wh-wha... Elizabeth..." he muttered. He slowly felt himself fading into unconsciousness, but the last thing he remembered hearing was the voice of the little boy calling for his parents. When Mr. Darcy awoke a second time, he found himself in a small wooden room and his body lying on a rather uncomfortable mattress. He stood, then dived under the covers when he found himself to be completely nude. He heard the door open and in walked a young-looking woman with a tray consisting of a teapot, an empty teacup and something to eat._

_"Good maurnin', sir! Glad te see ya awake," said the woman._

_"Where am I?" asked Mr. Darcy, making sure he was covered so the woman did not see him._

_"Rosscarbery, sir. Ye washed up on Galley Head yesterday maurnin'. Yer in County Cork, sir, in Ireland," said the woman._

_"Who are you?" asked Mr. Darcy._

_"Maeve O'Donovan, sir. Me 'usband is Timothy O'Donovan and the boy ye met on Galley Head is Timmy," said the woman._

_"Galley Head?"_

_"The beach, sir. Ye must have been a passenger on a passin' ship durin' that storm. Do ye have a name, sir? I can guarantee it is not Elizabeth." Elizabeth... Where had he heard that name before? It disturbed him how he could not remember where, but he knew it somewhere. It was not just any name, either. The name had much meaning to him, but he could not figure that part of it out. "Sir?"_

_"Yes? Er... I..." He could not remember his own name, either. What had happened to him to allow him to lose enough of his memory to forget his own name?_

_"This was found on yer person, sir," said Maeve, and she handed him a small handkerchief. He looked at it, running his thumb over the stitched letters._

_"F.D.," said Mr. Darcy. Who was F.D.? It seemed so familiar, but at the same time, so foreign. "I do not know, miss."_

_"We shall try again later. Fer now, please eat something and take some tea." Mr. Darcy battled long and hard with his memory until he succumbed to sleep. In the dream he had, he was seeing the world through a child's eyes. Before him was a beautiful young woman with dark hair and bright blue eyes, and she smiled at him and reached for him. 'Come, my Fitzwilliam,' she had said in the dream, and Darcy shot up in bed._

_"Fitzwilliam!" he cried, and Maeve quickly rushed in._

_"What is the matter, sir?" she asked him._

_"My name! It is Fitzwilliam! That is what the 'F' is!" he exclaimed. He recognized the woman from his dream as the man he saw in his reflection; the woman in his dream was, without a doubt, his mother. However, he could not exactly pinpoint the meaning of the 'D' on the handkerchief. With his clothes having finally dried, he was able to wear them again, so he paced about his room pondering the meaning of the 'D'. "Dashwood... No! Darling! Absolutely not! Daniels! Dabney! Dalton! Darrell! Darwin! Dawson! Darcy!" He froze. "Darcy... Where does that sound familiar... Darcy, Darcy, Darcy..." He sat down on his bed and ran his hands through his hair. "Darcy... Darcy... It is my surname, yes! Fitzwilliam Darcy is my name!" He had finally discovered his name two weeks after his arrival in Rosscarbery._

_It took him another month and a half to figure out that he owned several estates, one being in Derbyshire called 'Pemberley', and that he had a little sister named Georgiana. Having finally remembered his dearest sister, he began to miss her terribly. He thought of her constantly, and when Maeve O'Donovan asked what he was thinking of, he replied saying, "A very beautiful young woman who is very dear to me."_

_"Is this Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy?" asked Maeve, and Mr. Darcy froze._

_"Elizabeth... Who, dare I ask, is Elizabeth?" he asked._

_"I had been hopin' that you, sir, would be able te answer that one," said Maeve, and Mr. Darcy groaned and fell backwards onto his bed._

_"I shall never remember. I simply cannot!" he exclaimed, and he shot up and started pacing the room. "This Elizabeth... Whoever she is, she must be meaningful to me, for I cannot understand why, but I feel a strong tug on my heartstrings when her name is mentioned."_

_"Why don't ye come with us te the pub tonight? I feel ye migh' be able te use some time out o' this house and in a new environment," said Maeve, and Mr. Darcy reluctantly agreed. The O'Donovans brought him to the pub and invited him to dance with a beautiful young redheaded woman, who was very joyful and helpful in teaching him how to dance to the (rather fun) music of Ireland._

_"Easy, Mr. Darcy! Ye don' want too much o' it in one round! Come, we'll step outside fer a bit o' fresh air," said the young woman, and Mr. Darcy walked outside with her on his left arm. His eyes were turned to the stars, and hers to the golden ring on his left ring finger._

_"I never got your name, Miss," said Mr. Darcy, turning to the young woman._

_"Are you married?" asked the woman._

_"I beg your pardon?"_

_"On your left hand, there is a wedding band." Mr. Darcy examined his left hand carefully, noticing for the first time in three months that he was, indeed, wearing a wedding band._

_"Yes... Yes, it does seem that I am wearing one... Your name again, Miss?"_

_"Elizabeth O'Beirne, sir." Of course._

_"Excuse me, Miss... I require some time on my own..." Elizabeth O'Beirne nodded and left him to his peace, and Mr. Darcy took a walk through the town. He wondered if there was a connection between the name 'Elizabeth' and the wedding band on his left hand. "Perhaps... Perhaps I am married... Perhaps my wife's name is Elizabeth... Elizabeth Darcy... It has a wonderful sound to it! I wonder if we love each other..." No matter how much he thought, nothing would connect in his head. He had far too many loose ends that needed to be tied in his head and he decided to return to the O'Donovan cottage to rest._

_For two weeks, he pondered over the connection between Elizabeth and the wedding band on his left hand. He made several connections to this Elizabeth possibly being his wife, but he could not create her face in his head. It came to him instead. He was fast asleep, and his dreams were left peaceful until another storm started developing. The sound of the waves crashing on the shores of Galley Head permeated his subconscious, and it brought him back to the night he fell into the water. The stormy seas, despite the time of year, were not warm, and Mr. Darcy's body cooled rather quickly - perhaps too quickly, for he was not conscious for very long. All he remembered of the rough and stormy seas were seeing Elizabeth's helpless eyes watching him fall after she tried to save him and his numerous calls for his love. All he could think about was the last look that he saw cross Elizabeth's face when he fell... Elizabeth._

_He saw her. For the first time in almost four months, he saw her. He saw her beautiful earthly brown eyes and her perfect brown hair and her handsome face forming in his head. The last memory he had of his Elizabeth was her frightened expression as she tried desperately to hold onto him. It was he that let go, because he did not want to pull her into the water with him. His eyes shot open and he realized that the time was a quarter past seven in the morning. He dressed quickly and greeted the O'Donovan family at the breakfast table._

_"I must go," he said, and Maeve looked at her distressed house guest with worry._

_"Mr. Darcy, sir, it is storming terribly!" she exclaimed._

_"I do not care. I must go. I must return to my Elizabeth. I must," said Mr. Darcy, and Maeve stood. She quickly rushed to him and put a hand on his face._

_"Oh, dear Mr. Darcy, you've remembered her... You must be heartbroken to be separated from her..." she said._

_"Absolutely devastated, which is why I must return to her as soon as possible," said Mr. Darcy, a look of desperation in his blue eyes._

_"A ship leaves for Liverpool at noon today, Mr. Darcy," said Timothy O'Donovan._

_"Then I shall be on it, for I cannot waste another day. I am forever grateful for your care and attentiveness to me and my health, but I must go," said Mr. Darcy. By noon, he was on the ship bound for Liverpool, and in three more days, he was climbing into a carriage to take him to Netherfield. It was a very long journey, lasting nearly a week, but he finally made it to Netherfield. It was pouring and he was exhausted, but he made it to Mr. Bingley's doorstep. The doorman, Mr. Eccleston, greeted him with a surprise, and he announced Mr. Darcy's arrival to Mr. Bingley in the library._

_"Darcy?" asked Mr. Bingley upon the announcement, standing and staring in disbelief as Mr. Darcy, wet from the rain, walked quickly into the room. "By God... It can't be... No... Darcy!" Mr. Bingly leapt over his desk and raced to his closest friend, embracing him very tightly. "My God, it really is you, isn't it?"_

_"It is, Bingley. I cannot stay long. I must see Elizabeth," said Mr. Darcy._

_"You seem so unwell! Do take a day to rest!" cried Mr. Bingley, incredibly concerned for his friend's welfare._

_"I cannot. I must see her immediately."_

_"I understand... Change into something dry, please. You do not want to catch ill." Mr. Darcy agreed, but before he left the library, he looked back to Mr. Bingley._

_"Are the rumors true? Is she with child?" Mr. Bingley nodded._

_"Hurry! Change quickly!" Mr. Darcy nearly ran to the room he was directed to and found a set of clothes loaned to him by Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy was taller and a bit more built than Mr. Bingley, so he felt he looked rather silly in Mr. Bingley's clothes, but then he imagined how Elizabeth probably looked in her black crepe of widowhood. As soon as he had changed, he was given a cape and rushed to Longbourn on horseback._

* * *

"Oh, Mr. Darcy..." Jane uttered as she digested his story. "I cannot imagine how horrible that must have been."

"I never wish to experience it again," said Mr. Darcy. "How has she been?"

"Lately, more cheerful, but only when she is around someone else. At night, I often hear her crying herself to sleep," Jane replied.

"Not anymore," said Mr. Darcy. "I must sit by her side all night."

"I understand, Mr. Darcy. You have full permission to."

"Is anyone else awake?"

"Besides myself? No, sir."

"I shall greet Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as their son tomorrow. For now, I must thank you for taking such wonderful care of my dearest and loveliest Elizabeth." He kissed her brow once more before rushing up to Elizabeth's room in silence.

* * *

Elizabeth awoke sometime during the night, unsure of what exactly had happened to her that caused her head to ache so much. She placed her hands on her head and looked to the window, where the form of a man was silhouetted against it. She thought the silhouette was in the outline of Mr. Darcy, but she laughed at herself. "I am crazy," she muttered silently, and she fell asleep quickly. Mr. Darcy heard her whispered words and looked in her direction, but found that he was too late to respond. He sighed and resumed looking out the window, unable to rest.


	5. Chapter 5

Elizabeth awoke in her bedroom alone, which did not surprise her. She pulled on her wrapper and looked at the window, streaked with raindrops, where she thought she had seen Mr. Darcy's silhouette before, and only laughed. "Oh, I knew I was mad," she said. She looked down at her stomach and rested a hand on it, smiling. "Oh, little one, your mother is a mad woman..." She exited her room and found Jane and Mary in the drawing room, the former reading and the latter playing the pianoforte. "Good morning, Jane, Mary."

"Lizzie!" Jane exclaimed, looking at her sister. "Why, you are up rather late for your preferences."

"Yes, I awoke sometime last night rather exhausted from some sort of exertion that I know not what and thought I saw Mr. Darcy in the window, but I have concluded that I have, indeed, gone mad with grief," said Elizabeth.

"Lizzie, I must tell you something..."

"What is it? You sound concerned..."

"Lizzie, Mr. Darcy is..."

"Good morning, Mrs. Darcy." Elizabeth froze, having for sure thought she was hearing things. She heard heavy footsteps approach her from behind and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man's form coming into her range of view. Standing before her was, indeed, Mr. Darcy and even Elizabeth could not contribute that to insanity. "I am glad to see you awake." Elizabeth was left speechless, and she took a few steps back.

"Y-you... You are... M-Mr. Darcy, you... What?" Elizabeth stuttered, and Mr. Darcy chuckled.

"I am Mr. Darcy indeed, and you are Mrs. Darcy," he said.

"How..."

"It is a long story, dearest, that I must relate to you some other time. For now, I would like to greet you as your husband." He took a step towards her, Elizabeth taking one back.

"This is impossible... You... You are... This is impossible!"

"It is indeed possible, dearest Elizabeth, for I am standing right here before you."

"You are not... You cannot... I am simply seeing things... Yes, I... I am seeing things..."

"Lizzie, you are not! Mr. Darcy really is alive and well! You were grieving for so long and here he is right before you at last! You yearned for him and called for him and he has finally come!" Jane exclaimed.

"Surely, I must be mad, and my madness is making me believe that Jane is saying things she really is not..." Elizabeth muttered with wide eyes. She sat on the bottom step of the stairs.

"Mrs. Darcy, I am no apparition. I am your husband in the flesh. If what Miss Bennet says is true, then you have no reason to yearn and call for me any longer, for I am here. I have no intention of leaving your side ever again," said Mr. Darcy, kneeling down beside her.

"Surely, you must be... You must be an apparition. You cannot be true. You are not real! You cannot be! You died!" She stood up. "I saw you fall to your death with my very own eyes! You are dead!" She felt tears falling from her eyes. "You are dead and I am crazy!"

"Dearest Lizzie, I am not dead and you are not crazy!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed, his hands on her arms.

"Do not touch me! You are dead!" Elizabeth shouted, trying to remove herself from his touch.

"My touch is warm to you! It must be, for my heart beats in my chest and my lungs fill with air! Elizabeth, I am alive and I am standing here right before you ready to put your grieving to an end! If my touch were cold, then indeed you might consider yourself mad, but my dearest, it is not! My touch on your arms is the warm touch of life and I am here!" Mr. Darcy explained to her, the pain evident in his eyes.

"You cannot... You cannot... You cannot!" Elizabeth shouted, and she tore herself from his arms and ran outside, despite the pouring rain.

"Elizabeth!" Mr. Darcy called, racing after her as fast as his feet could carry him. Elizabeth was well ahead of him, and he had never thought her to have such agility. He did his best to keep up with her, but it was a struggle. Elizabeth ran believing the devil himself were running after her, and she started to feel a pain in her abdomen.

"Stop it!" she cried. "Stop it! Stop the pain!"

"Elizabeth!" Mr. Darcy called again as she slowed down. She came to a halt.

"Please, please..." she muttered, and then she fell into the mud face down. Mr. Darcy ran to her side and lifted her, paling at the sight of the blood on her nightgown, but he pushed aside his fear and ran with her in his arms to Longbourn.

* * *

Mr. Darcy paced back and forth downstairs while the Bennet family looked on somberly. They knew how distressed Mr. Darcy was over Elizabeth and they feared for his sanity as well as her life. "Mr. Darcy, perhaps sitting would-" Mr. Bennet began.

"No," said Mr. Darcy, continuing to pace. He would not sit until he knew how Elizabeth - and his child - was doing. The doctor had arrived an hour ago and was still upstairs tending to Elizabeth, which had Mr. Darcy frightened. If she died, he would simply go into the woods and send a bullet right through his head. He wished now that he had never returned to Longbourn and instead wished that he had died in those stormy seas four months before. As he contemplated the possible outcomes, the doctor came downstairs with a somber look, and Mr. Darcy grabbed him by his coat and shoved him against a wall. "How is she? I demand you tell me immediately how she is!"

"She will live, sir," said the doctor, his eyes wide with fright.

"Oh, thank the Lord above..." Mr. Darcy muttered, letting go of the doctor and finally sitting in an armchair.

"What about the baby?" asked Jane, and Mr. Darcy's eyes widened.

"I am afraid to say that Mrs. Darcy has lost her child," said the doctor, and Mr. Darcy let out a sob. Jane rushed to his side to comfort him.

"Mary, you must ride to Netherfield and fetch Mr. Bingley immediately," Jane told her sister as the doctor, who had been giving instructions to Miss Stanton, took his leave. Mary agreed and set out immediately while Jane comforted the shaking, sobbing and shattered Mr. Darcy. "Oh, Mr. Darcy, I am terribly sorry for your loss... There will be other children. Surely, there will!"

"I am the cause of this..." Mr. Darcy muttered through his tears. "This is all my fault!"

"Oh, Mr. Darcy, it is not. God has a reason for everything! Perhaps the child was ill in some way..." said Jane.

"I would have loved that child no matter what!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed, standing and pacing the room again. "I cannot rest easy until I see her."

"She is resting, sir," said Jane.

"I understand that, but I must see her!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed, then he sat in another armchair and buried his face in his hands. "My darling Elizabeth, she does not deserve this..." Jane could see in him every part of a broken man shattered by love, and she knelt down beside him.

"Go to her, then. There is nothing stopping you from sitting by her side," she told him, and he shot up and ran up the stairs to see his Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet was crying over the loss of the baby, while Mr. Bennet was touched by Mr. Darcy's urgent care for his daughter.

"A good man, indeed. He is nothing like the gentleman Lizzie described to me when he asked me for her hand in marriage," he said. They sat in silence until Mr. Bingley arrived, Jane greeting him at the door.

"Where is Darcy?" he demanded.

"Upstairs with Lizzie," said Jane.

"God, that poor man... While I brought him over here a couple of days before, he spoke of nothing but his excitement for his child. I feel that the role of fatherhood fits no one better than Darcy," said Mr. Bingley.

"I cannot even begin to imagine how Lizzie will react once she discovers that she has lost the baby... She will blame herself, as Mr. Darcy had done."

"It is like him to blame himself... He could not help his actions. He had not the slightest idea of Mrs. Darcy's reaction to his return. It must have overwhelmed her."

"Lizzie returned with a note from the captain of the ship they had been aboard saying that Mr. Darcy had taken her sanity with him into the stormy waters. I shall not challenge that statement because I believe it to be true."

"I feared for Darcy on his wedding day that she would not love him. I dare say that I am overjoyed to have been mistaken."

"Lizzie loves Mr. Darcy with ever bit of her soul, but I fear that her pride shall not allow it to show."

"I fear that at this rate, with the fashion that these events are in, that love may never show." The Bennet family, accompanied by Mr. Bingley, sat in silence as the awaited the fate of the Darcys to be decided.


	6. Chapter 6

Elizabeth awoke in the middle of the night with Jane sitting by her side dabbing at her face with a wet cloth. She saw her sister smile sadly at her and Elizabeth looked around the room. She could tell it was night by the flickering of the candlelight in the room. The moonlight crept in ever so slightly through the curtains that concealed her window. She looked up at Jane, whose blue eyes looked weary and her blonde hair out of place. She let out a slight gasp when she heard someone else take a deep breath, and she looked in the corner of her room to find Mr. Darcy asleep in a chair. "I told him that I would watch over you while he rested," Jane told her sister.

"I feel empty," said Elizabeth, suddenly feeling the said emptiness. She did not feel the life in herself that she had felt for the past four months and she looked to her abdomen. "Jane... Do tell me that I did not..." Jane's blue eyes looked somber as she slowly nodded.

"I am so sorry, Lizzie..." she said, taking her sister's hand.

"No... No! No! It can't be! No!" Elizabeth started to shout, and Jane took her sister's hands.

"Shh! Lizzie, please! You will wake Mr. Darcy! He has not slept in days!" she exclaimed quietly, but Elizabeth refused to comply.

"My child! No! It cannot be! Please tell me it is not true!" she shouted in a panicking tone, and she started to thrash. "Get your hands off of me!"

"Lizzie!"

"I cannot remain! I must go! I must go!"

"Elizabeth!" Elizabeth was restrained and her view of her sister was blocked. She cried until she could not stand it any longer, and she fainted in Mr. Darcy's arms. He let out a sigh and turned to Jane. "I apologize, Miss Bennet."

"It should be I apologizing. I should have awoken you as you had asked," Jane said to him.

"You took care to allow me to rest, or at least attempted to. It is that I appreciate, but I cannot rest with my Lizzie so unwell. Miss Bennet, you must return to bed. I shall sit up with Mrs. Darcy," Mr. Darcy told her, and Jane sighed.

"Of course, Mr. Darcy. Do try and rest if you can." She curtsied before leaving the room, and Mr. Darcy took Jane's place and dabbed at his wife's sweating face.

"My dearest Lizzie, I wish you beyond well..." He gently kissed her brow and brushed her hair out of her face. She had been unconscious for three days, and for four more days, she faded in and out of consciousness. Often, it was the same every time she had awoken. She started panicking and thrashing whenever she discovered that she had lost her child until Mr. Darcy was there to restrain her and put her to rest. He had barely slept, and if he did, it was only during the day, when others could be around to console Elizabeth if she did not panic about the loss of her child.

On the eighth day following Elizabeth's miscarriage, she finally awoke. Mr. Darcy prepared to pounce on her if she started thrashing and screaming, but she did not. She only looked rather grave and her brown eyes distant; she would not look at Mr. Darcy, and he wondered if she did it out of shame in herself or hatred of him. He took her hands and bent over them, kissing them ever so slightly, and tilted her chin to look at him. "Oh, please do not!" she cried, and Mr. Darcy concluded that she would not look at him in shame based on her tone.

"Dearest Elizabeth, have no shame," he told her.

"I was unable to carry our child. How else am I to feel?" she asked, turning her head.

"You no longer think me to be deceased, then?" asked Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth shook her head. "In response to your question, I must say that you are not at fault. The fault is mine."

"Yours?" asked Elizabeth, looking at him. "You have no control over my bodily functions!"

"No, but it was my presence that disturbed you," Mr. Darcy replied. "Now that you are fully conscious, I must remove myself."

"Remove yourself?"

"Yes. My presence has seemed to do nothing but upset your nature."

"To where?"

"For now, Netherfield, but soon, I would very much like to visit Derbyshire to see my sister. I have not had the chance to write to her and I am sure she is absolutely devastated over my disappearance. I shall go shortly, but if you do not wish me to remove myself, then I shall stay." Elizabeth turned her head.

"Do as you wish. I am a vegetable for now and not much entertainment."

"Darling Elizabeth, I am basing my actions on your response. Do you wish me to stay or would you like me to remove myself to Netherfield?"

"Go and see your sister. She must be desperate for your return." Mr. Darcy sighed, knowing she had not given him a direct answer, and kissed her hands.

"I will write to you when I arrive. I am sure Georgiana would love to send you a letter as well, if she has not already."

"I believe she did, but I never read it. She sent it perhaps a fortnight after your disappearance."

"Would you like to write a response?"

"It is far too outdated and I feel I am too weak to write one. I want to rest, please, Mr. Darcy." She turned over and Mr. Darcy allowed her to rest, and when Elizabeth awoke, he was no longer at Longbourn.

* * *

After another long journey, Mr. Darcy crept quietly through Pemberley in hopes of catching his sister off guard. He found her in the parlor, sitting by the pianoforte mournfully and dressed in black. She was not playing, but instead, just fingering the ivory keys. He heard her sigh and she rested an elbow on the keys, resulting in a terrible sound that did not sound like it could possibly come from Georgiana Darcy. He quietly stepped towards her, watching her every move.

"Mrs. Annesley, please let me be," said Georgiana, believing her brother to be her guardian.

"If that is what you wish, Miss Darcy," said Mr. Darcy, and he saw Georgiana sit up straight. Slowly, she turned, and she let out a gasp and stood when she saw her brother standing before her, very much alive.

"Fitzwilliam..." she muttered, her eyes never leaving him. Mr. Darcy smiled at his surprised sister.

"It is I, Georgiana," he said to her.

"Oh... Oh... Oh, Fitzwilliam!" she exclaimed, and she ran to her brother and leapt into his arms, squeezing him tighter than she had ever squeezed her before. "How could you do such a thing to me! It is so like you to force me to wear black and mourn for you daily!"

"I apologize, my dearest sister. I could not help falling over that bulkhead," he told his sister, kissing his brow.

"You fell over the bulkhead? Why, Miss Bingley wrote to me saying that Miss Elizabeth pushed you! I wrote her a rather nasty letter..."

"Then I am glad she never opened it."

"You've been to see her?"

"I have."

"Is she well?"

"She was grieving for me more than I would have ever thought. But Miss Bingley informed you that she had pushed me?" Georgiana nodded. "It was quite the opposite. Mrs. Darcy had grabbed onto me and was trying to pull me back onto the ship, but I let go of her because I did not want to pull her in with me."

"Oh, Fitzwilliam, how dreadfully kind of you! To sacrifice yourself for Miss Elizabeth!"

"I have come to learn that my affections for her are more than friendly."

"Oh, I knew that long before your realization! I had heard a rumor that she was with child?"

"She was, but a little over a week ago, she miscarried."

"Oh... Fitzwilliam, I am terribly sorry... I must pay my respects as her new sister."

"Georgiana, I have had a long journey and very little rest. I would like some time to rest."

"Fitzwilliam, I know you will not rest until you are assured that she is well. I would like to see my sister." Mr. Darcy sighed, knowing that his sister would not stop until she got what she wanted.

"Fine. I would like to rest a week and then we will go to Herfordshire."

"Five days."

"Six."

"Four."

"Five."

"Two."

"Three."

"I can wait three days. In three days' time, we shall go and visit my sister!" She smiled at him, and Mr. Darcy wondered how his sister had managed to trick him into such a thing.

* * *

Georgiana was packed and ready on the day before she and her brother were to take the trip back to Herfordshire, and when the Darcys were finally on their way, Georgiana would not stop talking about meeting Elizabeth. "Oh, I bet she is as handsome as you have said she is! I have such a new liking of her now that I know Miss Bingley was wrong! Oh, how silly of me! I should have known Miss Bingley would deceive me about Miss Elizabeth!" she said joyously.

"I cannot help but imagine Miss Bingley's reaction to my arrival in Hertfordshire," said Mr. Darcy.

"Horrified, I would think. With you arriving in Herfordshire, Mr. Darcy, you are likely to return to Miss Elizabeth's side. Even she knows that," said Georgiana, and Mr. Darcy chuckled.

"Yes, and that was what I did. Georgiana, you must understand that it was my arrival that caused Mrs. Darcy's miscarriage."

"It could not have been! She must have been so relieved that you were alive!"

"Not quite... She thought herself insane."

"I thought myself insane at first, as well! I wonder why she did not come to Pemberley when she discovered that she was with child? Did she not want to see me?"

"I do not believe that to be so, Georgiana."

"Perhaps she was grieving so much that she could not bear to live in the place you called home and share company with your sister. It might have upset her much more."

"That is a good presumption, Georgiana. I do not care to ask Mrs. Darcy, however, because I do not feel it matters much anymore." Georgiana agreed.

"I cannot wait to see my sister! I would love to sit with her and learn all about her!"

"Mrs. Darcy recently suffered a miscarriage, Georgiana. She spent a week in and out of consciousness and most of the time, it was spent fighting me while I attempted to calm her. She is likely to be tired."

"Oh, of course! I understand! I shall wait until she is better to get to know my sister more. We will spend a lifetime as sisters."

"I hope Mrs. Darcy is as accepting of you as you are of her."

"Why would she not be? She sounds as if she is used to sisters."

"That she is. When we arrive, I shall visit her first alone, and if she is well enough for visitors, I shall bring you when I next call."

* * *

When Mr. Darcy called, Elizabeth was sitting in the drawing room with Jane and Mary. She was dressed in her nightgown and wrapper, but she looked presentable, and Mr. Darcy was sure he saw a certain spark enter her gaze when she saw him enter the room. "Good morning, Miss Bennet, Miss Mary and Mrs. Darcy."

"Good morning, Mr. Darcy. Did you have a nice trip?" asked Jane.

"I did indeed. I would have been much longer if my sister had not insisted on coming to meet her new sister."

"I do not believe Miss Darcy will like me much, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth, her eyes cast down. "I read the letter she had sent me a fortnight after your disappearance."

"Georgiana was misinformed, Mrs. Darcy. Miss Bingley had told her that you had pushed me over the bulkhead of the ship," said Mr. Darcy.

"Then my presumptions were correct. Jane, I told you that Miss Bingley had started that rumor," said Elizabeth to her sister.

"It seems that she has. I did not think Miss Bingley capable of such a thing," Jane replied.

"It has been settled and Georgiana is very eager to meet her new family. Perhaps I shall bring her by tomorrow morning when I call."

"I see no reason to bring her by now," said Jane. "Elizabeth is well enough for company. Mrs. Collins had visited earlier and is now at Lucas Lodge."

"When did Charlotte marry Mr. Collins anyhow?" asked Elizabeth.

"I believe it was a month or so after Mr. Darcy's disappearance," said Jane. "You still refused to leave your room when Mrs. Collins came to announce her engagement." Elizabeth felt Mr. Darcy's gaze on her and blushed.

"How terrible of me! I would not see one of my closest friends in my grief!" she exclaimed.

"Shall I go and fetch Georgiana?" asked Mr. Darcy to the two sisters.

"We would love to have her company," said Jane, and Elizabeth agreed. Mr. Darcy bowed to them both before taking his leave.


	7. Chapter 7

Mr. Darcy arrived an hour later with Georgiana in tow, and Georgiana rushed in to greet her new sister, which surprised Elizabeth so much that she lost a little bit of color in her face. "Georgiana! I thought I warned you to greet her calmly!" Mr. Darcy shouted at his sister.

"Miss Elizabeth, I am terribly sorry! I could not help my excitement!" Georgiana exclaimed, taking her sister's hands.

"Please do not apologize. I am quite all right," Elizabeth told her new sister.

"How are you? Are you well?" asked Georgiana.

"Much better than I was when your brother left Longbourn."

"I am terribly glad to hear! I must apologize for that letter... My brother informed me that you had read it when he arrived at Netherfield."

"He explained to me that your opinion has changed, Miss Darcy."

"Please, call me Georgiana! I am your sister now and I am sure you would not call your sister 'Miss Bennet'!"

"Of course, Georgiana. Might I ask how you fare? You must have been devastated as well over Mr. Darcy's disappearance."

"Oh, I was... But then Fitzwilliam surprised me and it made me terribly happy to see him!"

"I am glad to hear!"

"He says you thought yourself insane when you first saw him?"

"Yes, I did. I was compared to Ophelia in Mr. Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, as a matter of fact." Both girls laughed at that.

"At least, my dearest, you did not succumb to a similar fate," said Mr. Darcy.

"How could she? She never left the her room!" Mary said from the pianoforte.

"Excuse my rather unladylike gesture, Mr. Darcy and Georgiana, but I must teach my sister a lesson," said Elizabeth, and she threw a pillow at her sister, the pillow bouncing off of the keys and making a rather unpleasant sound.

"Lizzie!" Jane exclaimed, but Georgiana was laughing and Mr. Darcy was smiling.

"Miss Elizabeth, you are the most fun! I must spend more time getting to know you!" Georgiana exclaimed through her laughter.

"Please, if I am to call you 'Georgiana', then you are to call me 'Elizabeth'," said Elizabeth to Georgiana.

"I think that I can comply easily, Elizabeth. Or can I call you 'Lizzie' like your sisters do?" asked Georgiana.

"Of course! I see no reason not to!" As Elizabeth and Georgiana chatted away, Mr. Darcy smiled at his wife and sister's friendship. It made him happy to see Georgiana with someone that she could confide in besides himself.

* * *

A few days after Georgiana and Elizabeth met, Elizabeth took ill, and Mr. Darcy did not want Georgiana disturbing Elizabeth with her chatting. Truthfully, all Elizabeth had was a small head cold, but Mr. Darcy's excessive care annoyed her to a great extent. "Dearest, I have brought you some broth," he said to her one of the evenings.

"I am not hungry," said Elizabeth stubbornly, her stomach growling.

"Your stomach says otherwise," said Mr. Darcy, setting the tray on her lap and taking a seat beside her. He put a hand to her head, but she turned her head away. "Why are you being difficult?"

"Because I am fine! You are acting like a fool over nothing!" Elizabeth snapped at him.

"I cannot help but be concerned for your welfare, Mrs. Darcy."

"Oh, don't call me that!"

"What shall I call you? Lizzie? My dearest? My love?"

"Leave me alone." Mr. Darcy let out a sigh and went to kiss her brow, but she pushed him away.

"I shall see you tomorrow, then." He left her alone, leaving Elizabeth to feel quite cold. She pretended that she was angry because of his careful attentiveness to her, but she knew the real reason that she was upset with him. He was not acting like the Mr. Darcy she had known before she married him, and she was starting to become attracted to him. She wanted to be prejudiced against him because of some of the things he had said to her, but how could she when he was not acting nor speaking to her the way he was before? How could she possibly even think of being attracted to such a man? She knew she was hurting him, and she was well aware of the hurt that his pain was causing her, but she could not falter. She had been far too lenient with him, so she would have to raise her guard the next time he called.

* * *

Mr. Darcy called the following morning to see how Elizabeth was doing, but was then informed that she would not see him. He smiled at the thought of her only saying so because she did not want him to take such delicate care of her even though he knew she only had a cold. He had had his share of colds and he knew that they were not deadly. The reason for his delicate care of her was her warm treatment of him in the days before she took ill, and he very much wanted to push that warmth into a hot and passionate love that she could not escape from. He wanted her to raise her arms to him and call him 'her Fitzwilliam' and to beg for him to kiss her, but he understood that his wife was very stubborn. He went up to Elizabeth's room and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Elizabeth called from inside.

"Your husband, my dearest. Do let me in?" asked Mr. Darcy, the smile on his face evident in his voice.

"Leave me alone," said Elizabeth.

"Dearest, you do not mean that, do you? Please allow me to come in and see you," said Mr. Darcy.

"I am going to snub you."

"Dearest, you are not snubbing me by saying you are going to snub me."

"Leave me be!"

"Elizabeth! What is it that has gotten into you?" He got no response. "Mrs. Darcy, if you do not answer me, I will be forced to enter." Still no answer, so he opened the door. "Elizabeth, I must ask what-" He ducked as she threw a book at him. "Elizabeth!"

"Leave me alone!"

"What is it? Please relate to me what is wrong!" She threw another book and this time, hit him in the face.

"I will throw one a lot harder if you do not leave me alone!" Mr. Darcy gave up and, nursing his eye, closed the door. So she was not upset due to his excessive care... Something else had disturbed her and he wished to know what, but he had to wait until Elizabeth were not confined to her bed before he could find out. He took his leave, then asked Jane to send for him when Elizabeth was on her feet again. In the meantime, he pondered over her rocky and rather bipolar feelings and behavior.


	8. Chapter 8

"Fitzwilliam!" exclaimed Georgiana once she saw Mr. Darcy enter, his left eye bruised. "What has happened?"

"I stupidly upset Mrs. Darcy," said Mr. Darcy, covering his eye and trying to move past her, but she did not allow him.

"What did you do?" asked Georgiana.

"It does not matter. I shall call on her in a few days' time to make amends," said Mr. Darcy, pushing past her.

"And why not now?" Georgiana was following him.

"She is upset. I wish to give her a few days to calm."

"She is your wife! She ought to hear you out now."

"Please, Georgiana, I do not wish to lose my eye."

"You were willing to lose your life for her sake." He froze.

"This is completely different, Georgiana. I will call on her in a few days. The subject has ended." He went up to his chamber and closed the door. Georgiana sat on the steps that she had climbed halfway in pursuing her brother, contemplating on what there was that she could do. Georgiana could find a way out of everything her brother told her, and thankfully for her, there was one thing he had not told her: to stay away from Elizabeth.

* * *

Georgiana called on Elizabeth the following morning while her brother was engaged in other activities. She informed her lady's maid to tell him that she had a headache and to leave her be if he asked for her and that was about the only solution to a possible outcome that she came up with. She met Elizabeth in her room and asked to speak with her privately, which she was granted. It was then that she started hounding her sister-in-law. "Why did you hurt my brother?" she asked.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Elizabeth.

"Yesterday, my brother returned home with a bruised eye and all he said was that he upset you. What did you do and why did you do it?" asked Georgiana again.

"Exactly what your brother told you," said Elizabeth a bit coldly.

"I do not understand you. You allow my brother to kiss you and then you act as if everything was his fault. Miss Elizabeth, I beg you to forgive me, but this marriage is _your _fault. It was _you _who allowed him to kiss you, not him. You had every right in the world to stop him, but you _did not_. You allowed him to continue and now you refuse to allow him happiness. I am amazed you even became with child."

"Your brother forced it upon me!"

"That is not what he said!"

"Of course that is not what he said!"

"I choose to believe my brother's words over everyone else's, including yours. My brother loves you and I do not know why he nor anyone else has ever told you that, so _I will._ My brother loves you more than even he can comprehend and he still cannot. You cloud his mind daily and all he wants is to give you a reason to smile, and you refuse! Why must you be so cruel to my brother? He does not deserve it!"

"He does not know you are here, does he?"

"That is not what I am discussing."

"I did not think so. You know, he might be very angry with you for coming here."

"Someone needs to talk to you and if he will not do it, then I will."

"He never fights his own battles. You should have seen him the night we consummated our marriage."

"I almost no longer regret that letter I wrote to you... I would write it a thousand times over again, bind them in a book and throw it and your eye if I could, but I trust my brother when he says you did not push him over. It is what he said to me that makes me say that I almost do not regret it." Elizabeth just looked at her, quite unsure what to say next or what to even think. She let out a sigh and looked at her hands in her lap.

"Why did your brother kiss me? Explain that to me."

"I told you. He loves you unconditionally and that I cannot explain. I am in no place to explain that. Only he can, and frankly, I do not even think he knows how to. Answer me this: why did you let him kiss you?"

"The same reason your brother cannot explain to me why he kissed me."

"I see... What is it that makes you so mean to him? You never answered that."

"Georgiana, I think you ought to go back to Netherfield before Mr. Darcy discovers that you are here..."

"Not until I help you clear up your feelings. You need to decide if you love my brother or not."

"Georgiana, please, you are overwhelming me."

"Good, because that is what you need, Elizabeth."

"Georgiana?" Mr. Darcy called below, and Georgiana let out a sigh.

"I will have to help you some other time, for it seems that my lady's maid did not listen to me," said Georgiana as they heard heavy footsteps rushing up the stairs. Elizabeth's door was opened in seconds.

"Georgiana! I thought I told you to leave Mrs. Darcy alone!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Frankly, Fitzwilliam, you told me nothing of the sort," said Georgiana. She turned to Elizabeth. "Do feel better, dear sister, and remember what I said." She left the room, and Mr. Darcy stood with an embarrassed look on his face.

"I am terribly sorry, Elizabeth. I did not mean for-"

"Dear God, Mr. Darcy, your eye!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth and her eyes wide in shock. "Did... Did I do that?"

"Yes, but I am fine. I insist. You must rest, Mrs. Darcy," said Mr. Darcy, and he started to close the door, but Elizabeth jumped out of bed, despite the sharp pain still present in her abdomen, and stopped him.

"I am so terribly sorry... You have no reason to forgive me for my behavior yesterday."

"Elizabeth, I understand."

"No, you do not. You do not understand it because I do not understand it, either. I do not wish to be forgiven for what I have done to your eye."

"I am sorry, Mrs. Darcy, but you are forgiven."

"I beg you not to forgive me. I do not deserve it." Mr. Darcy pushed her into her bedroom and closed the door behind him, then pulled her into a tight embrace. "Mr. Darcy?"

"You are forgiven, my Lizzie, now rest." He kissed her brow, picked her up and set her down on her bed. "I must return to Netherfield now. I have many engagements that I must handle. I shall call on you as soon as I can." He took her hands in his and kissed them, then stood and quickly left the room. Elizabeth contemplated over Georgiana's words, but she could not stop her tears once they surfaced in her eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Elizabeth eagerly awaited Mr. Darcy's next calling for days and everyone around her noticed it but Elizabeth. Whenever she heard the mention of company and she perked up and asked who it was. One time, the company was a Mr. Wickham, come to call on Lydia, and he greeted Elizabeth rather coldly after she had been introduced. Lydia was ecstatic to see him and asked if they could go for a walk, and Mary was forced to accompany them as a chaperone. Elizabeth marveled over Mr. Wickham's cold treatment of her until she heard the sound of hooves on the path leading up to the house. Elizabeth looked outside and found Mr. Darcy having just descended from his horse and speaking to the young stable boy, then walking up to the house. "Jane! It is Fitzwilliam!" Elizabeth exclaimed, then blushed and corrected herself. "Excuse me, it is Mr. Darcy..." Jane smiled at her sister, happy to have heard her sister address her husband by his Christian name. Mr. Darcy was then announced and Elizabeth stood with a smile on her face to greet him.

"Good afternoon, Miss Bennet and Mrs. Darcy," he said, smiling at his seemingly-happy wife.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth. "Your eye looks much better."

"Thank you, it most certainly is," said Mr. Darcy, approaching her. "You are dressed in a day dress today?" He had taken notice of her green day dress, as the last few times he had seen her, she had been in her nightgown.

"Yes, I could no longer stand being in that gossamer... It seems like a nice day out. Might we go for a walk?"

"I fear, Mrs. Darcy, that it is far too cold for you to be outside, given your recent illnesses."

"I assure you, Mr. Darcy, that I would be quite all right."

"Forgive me for being so worrisome. It thrills me to see you fully dressed and out of bed at last and I do not wish to see you return to such a state."

"Oh, it is all right. I guess we can stay inside." She sat back down, and Mr. Darcy took a seat in a nearby armchair. "Would you like a glass of brandy or wine, Mr. Darcy?"

"I am quite fine, Mrs. Darcy." They sat in silence for a short while. "It is quiet around here. Are Miss Lydia and Miss Kitty engaged elsewhere?"

"Kitty, I believe, is with Mama in the kitchen and Lydia went for a walk with a Mr. Wickham." Mr. Darcy's eyes widened and he sat up straight.

"A Mr. Wickham, you say?" Elizabeth nodded.

"He greeted me rather coldly this morning."

"Easily understandable. It is not you, my dearest Lizzie. It is I he detests."

"You? Whatever for?"

"It is a long story that I shall relate to you later."

"Like you promised to relate to me your story of survival?"

"I thought I already had."

"Not quite, Mr. Darcy."

"Would you like to hear it?" Elizabeth nodded, and Mr. Darcy related his entire tale to her. Elizabeth laughed when Mr. Darcy got to the part of trying to remember his name, and when he started telling the part of his discovery of their connection, Elizabeth's smile faded. "My love?"

"Huh? Oh... You forgot me?"

"I might have forgotten our connection, dearest, but you haunted me until I first saw you after those long four months."

"I cannot even remember how I was... Jane remembers very well, but not I."

"She says you grieved daily and spent the first month locked in your bedchamber."

"Did I? I do not remember..."

"You did. While on my way to Hertfordshire, I thought about how rejoiced you were that I was dead and gone, but it gave me hope when Miss Bennet informed me that you were quite the opposite." Elizabeth looked at her hands in her lap.

"I must have seemed mad when I kept declaring that you were an apparition..." Mr. Darcy's hands slipped into hers and he held them in her lap.

"I understood that you were shocked, my Lizzie." Elizabeth looked up at him and found that his nose was nearly touching hers. She felt one of his hands gently brush against her cheek before cradling it, and she saw him nearing her. He was mere millimeters from her face when Elizabeth suddenly thought of Jane.

"Mr. Darcy, Jane is..." She looked at where Jane had been sitting what felt like moments before. "...not here..."

"No, Miss Bennet is not. We are quite alone, Elizabeth." She turned back to him, his blue eyes swimming with the love he felt for her. She had no idea what her eyes looked like - probably confused - so she closed them to conceal her emotions from him. Mr. Darcy took this as an invitation to kiss her, and right when his lips very lightly brushed against hers, they heard the giggling sounds of a happy Lydia and they separated just as she, Mr. Wickham and Mary burst into the house.

"Mama!" cried Lydia. "We must invite Mr. Wickham to stay for dinner!" As she ran down the hall seeking her mother and Mary went upstairs to her bedchamber, Mr. Wickham looked at Darcy, and Elizabeth noticed the tension in the air increase.

"Mr. Darcy," said Mr. Wickham.

"Mr. Wickham," said Mr. Darcy.

"You returned from the dead rather quickly, did you not?" asked Mr. Wickham.

"Someone must care for Pemberley and the various Darcy estates," said Mr. Darcy.

"Imagine it, Darcy. That might have been me." Mr. Darcy stood up angrily, startling Elizabeth.

"Make one mention of my sister..."

"I did not mention Miss Darcy."

"Make one reference to her."

"I did not reference Miss Darcy, either."

"Even _hint_ at what you have done to her and I shall do with you what I wish I had done long ago..."

"Stripping me of the money I deserved was not enough?"

"I gave you everything my father mentioned in his will that you were to inherit and you gambled it away. You were never invited to ask for more."

"Wouldn't your father be quite ashamed."

"Mrs. Darcy, if this man is to dine with your family tonight, then I shall not."

"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth cried, grabbing her husband's hand and begging him not to leave with her eyes.

"I must go, Mrs. Darcy. I shall call on you tomorrow." He leaned down and kissed her brow, then pushed past Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth, upset that Mr. Darcy had to depart so quickly, looked at Mr. Wickham with an annoyed expression before going up to her bedchamber. She did not come down for dinner when she discovered that Mr. Wickham would be joining them for dinner.


	10. Chapter 10

Mrs. Bennet encouraged that all of the girls take a walk one chilly November morning and they all agreed. With their winter cloaks, gloves and boots on, the five sisters went for a short walk and returned to sit outside near the kitchen door. Elizabeth stood on the swing, Lydia stood behind her chatting about Mr. Wickham, Kitty was holding the cat, Jane was sitting on the steps and Mary sat in silence beside Jane. Behind them, they heard the crunching of frozen grass and when they looked, they found Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy walking towards their group also dressed in their winter attire.

"Good morning, ladies!" Mr. Bingley exclaimed cheerfully. Elizabeth smiled at her husband from the swing, then watched Mr. Bingley approach Jane. "Miss Bennet..."

"Hello, Mr. Bingley," said Jane, standing to greet him. Lydia hopped onto the swing next to Elizabeth.

"Oh, look at them, Lizzie! They are so obviously in love, just like you are with Mr. Dar-" She was cut off as her side of the swing snapped and she fell onto the ground. Elizabeth could not help but laugh and Mr. Darcy helped her stand. "It is not funny, Lizzie!"

"Oh, I believe it to be quite so!" Elizabeth told her, still standing on the wooden seat of the swing and holding onto the rope.

"Mrs. Darcy, you are likely to meet a similar fate if you do not come down," said Mr. Darcy, offering her his hand. She took it and climbed down from the swing.

"I have to change!" Lydia exclaimed. "Kitty, come with me to pick out a new one!" Kitty agreed and followed her sister inside. Mary also went inside some time after, claiming to be too cold to sit outside any longer.

"It is quite cold today, is it not, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth asked her husband, and Mr. Darcy removed his cloak and placed it on her shoulders. "Mr. Darcy, you will get cold!"

"I insist you wear it, Mrs. Darcy," said Mr. Darcy.

"Well, I insist you wear it or I shall not allow you to call on me until you do," said Elizabeth, and Mr. Darcy agreed to refasten it around his shoulders. "Where is Georgiana today?"

"She has a headache this morning and must rest."

"Is that not what she told you the last time and she came to me against your wishes, sir?"

"I saw her this morning in her bedchamber and she was resting in bed. I asked her companion, Mrs. Annesley, to watch over her in my absence."

"I feel as if I have not seen her in ages..."

"Bingley was considering a ball perhaps around Christmastime."

"Can I not see her before then?"

"I am certain you will, but I must know if you think yourself able to attend. I understand you had the miscarriage only last month." Elizabeth took his hand in hers and kissed it.

"Your concern for me is very becoming. I believe myself to be quite all right and I would love to attend it, as long as you will agree to dance with me."

"I must, for I am now a married man." Elizabeth smiled at him and looked to her sister, who had called her attention.

"Lizzie, Mr. Bingley and I are going to go inside. We are a bit cold," said Jane, and Elizabeth nodded.

"We shall follow suit shortly, Miss Bennet," said Mr. Darcy, and Jane and Mr. Bingley went inside the house. Mr. Darcy looked back at his wife and took her hands in his. "Elizabeth... My Lizzie... I have struggled in vain. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Elizabeth's eyes widened, and she looked at her husband's blue eyes. His eyes told that he was entirely honest with her in his confession and she could see that he eagerly awaited her response.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy..." Elizabeth murmured. She looked down at her hands in his, and then back at his gaze, and then she suddenly remembered that Jane and Mr. Bingley would find themselves alone. "Mr. Bingley is going to propose."

"I... I beg your pardon?" asked Mr. Darcy, confused at his beloved's response.

"Mr. Bingley is going to propose to Jane!" Elizabeth exclaimed, and she ran inside, already finding the drawing room door closed. She cracked it open to hear the conversation as Mr. Darcy arrived at her side.

"Elizabeth," he said, and Elizabeth hushed him by placing a finger over his lips.

"Miss Bennet, I... I must declare that I... I have been utterly bewitched by you... I do not know what it is but... Oh, Miss Bennet, forgive me," said Mr. Bingley.

"There is nothing to forgive, Mr. Bingley," said Jane.

"Miss Bennet, I... I have something to say," said Mr. Bingley, and Jane did not reply, but something she must have done urged him on. "Miss Bennet... Er... You... You must know that... er... You are very pretty. I must go." They heard his hurried footsteps and the Darcys quickly stepped out of the way as Mr. Bingley rushed out and through the front door. Elizabeth rushed into the drawing room to greet her sister and found her very pink in her face.

"Jane! Are you all right?" she asked her sister as Mr. Darcy stepped in after his wife.

"Oh, Lizzie, I am quite all right... Surely, you must have heard him..." said Jane.

"I did! Oh, Jane, if that was not his way of proposing, then surely, he shall propose soon!" Elizabeth exclaimed, and Jane looked at Mr. Darcy.

"Mr. Darcy, I beg your pardon," she said, strolling over to the sofa, "but I must teach my sister a lesson." She picked up a pillow and threw it at Elizabeth, who had been standing in front of the pianoforte. The pillow and Elizabeth's hands on the keys made all sorts of unpleasant sounds as Jane and Elizabeth laughed. "Oh, Lizzie, you play so well!" Lizzie pushed her hands onto the keys again, creating another unpleasant noise, and the two sisters laughed. Mr. Darcy's look of hurt from Elizabeth's distraction from his confession of love went unnoticed, and he left without a word to either of them.

* * *

Elizabeth expected Mr. Darcy to call on her the following day, but he did not. In fact, he did not call for three days at all. On the third day, close to evening, Elizabeth got sick of waiting on her husband to call, so she called on him herself. Wanting to arrive as quickly as possible, Elizabeth went to the stables and found a horse to take her to Netherfield. "Nice horse... Nice horse..." she said as she approached it. The horse whinnied and Elizabeth let out a yelp, but the thought of seeing Mr. Darcy drove her to mount that horse and ride it to Netherfield. She shook with terror as she climbed off, but she straightened herself out as she climbed the steps and asked to see Mr. Darcy. She asked not to be announced to him and quietly slipped into the library, where Mr. Darcy was sitting at a desk with his back to her. She slowly approached him and saw that he was only sitting at the desk not even doing anything. His head was in his hands and there was not even a piece of paper in front of him. "Mr. Darcy?" He shot up and faced her, clearly surprised, and then his expression turned to confusion.

"Elizabeth?" he asked. "What are you doing here? Did you walk here?"

"No, sir. I rode here," said Elizabeth.

"Rode? A horse?" Elizabeth nodded. "Why did you come so late?"

"You have not called on me in three days, so I decided to call on you."

"I have been busy."

"Is this your idea of 'busy'?" Mr. Darcy was quiet for a moment, his eyes on hers.

"Why did you come?"

"Do you not know why?"

"Explain to me."

"You called on me every day until Mr. Bingley joined you and spoke with my sister."

"I gave you a confession of love and you ignored it, Elizabeth! Why should I call on you if you ignore my affections?"

"You did not seem to care every other time!"

"I gave you a declaration of my love, Elizabeth! Compared to every other action, that one is the greatest and took the most courage and you disregarded it as if it were meaningless to you!" Elizabeth was silent. "You must leave."

"No."

"Elizabeth."

"Fitzwilliam." He only looked at her, then closed the space in between them. He took her into his arms and kissed her more passionately than he had any time before. This time, Elizabeth kissed him back and was as engaged in the action as he was.

"My goodness!" came Miss Bingley's surprised voice from the door, and they separated and looked towards her. Mr. Darcy let go of Elizabeth.

"You must return to Longbourn," he said to her.

"No! I cannot!" she protested. "Elizabeth, please. I am asking you to leave me be." Elizabeth looked at him with a rather hurt expression. "Darling, please, before I can no longer hold myself back." Elizabeth heeded his words and left without saying anything, but not without letting him see how hurt he had left her.


	11. Chapter 11

Elizabeth did not call on Mr. Darcy again, and for a week and a half, he did not call on her. She missed his voice and his touch and she wondered if her marriage to him was falling apart. But did they ever really have a marriage? They had a wedding, yes, and it was indeed consummated and Elizabeth was once with child, but there had been no intimacy since. The first intimacy since their wedding night was the kiss they had shared at Netherfield that Miss Bingley had walked in on, but that was it. Was Elizabeth's marriage to Mr. Darcy real? She did not feel that it was. She felt that she would have to expect him to propose living apart forever.

It was very late November when Elizabeth next saw Mr. Darcy and she saw him riding his horse as she was walking along the path. The ground was white with a small dusting and she was dressed in her cloak, bonnet and and boots, but she had forgotten her gloves, so her hands were freezing. She crossed her arms in hopes to protect them from the biting cold. Mr. Darcy stopped his horse and looked at her from beneath his top hat. Elizabeth spared him once glance before continuing on her way, and she heard Mr. Darcy dismount his house behind her. "Elizabeth," he called, and she stopped. "Elizabeth, forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth, and she felt him grab her arm and turn her to face him.

"There is much to forgive. Our marriage has been a living Hell and it is all because of me," he said to her.

"Mr. Darcy, none of this is your fault."

"It was I who kissed you."

"It was I who did not stop you." He stopped and looked at her and let out a sigh.

"Will you come for dinner tonight at Netherfield? You may, of course, bring your sister."

"Jane is not feeling well and I must sit at her side as she did for me." Mr. Darcy let go of her and removed his top hat.

"Of course... I shall see you again soon." He climbed onto his horse again, gave her one last look, placed his top hat on his head and rode off, leaving Elizabeth standing and staring after him.

* * *

Another week passed before any sign of Mr. Darcy found Elizabeth, and when it did, it found her in the form of Georgiana. She had called on Elizabeth and wished to speak to her in private, and Elizabeth led her into the parlor. "My brother is very upset," she said.

"Georgiana, I do not think that either of us are well balanced," said Elizabeth.

"I have not seen much of Fitzwilliam in the past week... He is clearly bothered by whatever it is that has happened between you."

"I must apologize. It is my fault that your brother is the way he is."

"I know. I want you and your sisters to come to the ball at Netherfield on Thursday."

"Would Mr. Darcy be all right with you inviting me?"

"He might be upset for a little while, but he shall forgive me soon enough. Please, Lizzie... You must come and cheer him up. I am sure that he thinks of nothing but you."

"Of course! I will try anything to see his smile again and share his company."

"Would you perhaps join him at Netherfield?" Elizabeth was silent for a moment.

"I shall run to him the moment he calls me to his side."

* * *

Elizabeth made sure to wear her prettiest gown for the ball for her Mr. Darcy and hoped that he would keep his promise of dancing with her at the ball. He had said he would and she hoped he would keep that word, despite recent events, and she hoped that her presence at Netherfield might cheer him up. She waited for her sisters to dress in the carriage and could not stop glancing at her wedding band. It was a most beautiful one, and it had an inscription on the inside that Elizabeth had never noticed before. When she had felt it rub against her finger as she was toying with it, she could not help her curiosity. She removed it and read the inscription, smiling to herself. The inscription said: _'You shall have my heart forever.'_


	12. Chapter 12

The Bennets piled into the carriage after Elizabeth replaced her wedding band on her finger and kissed it and were on their way to the ball at Netherfield. When they arrived, Elizabeth instantly sought out Mr. Darcy, but could not find him anywhere among the crowd. She next sought out Georgiana and found her with a cup of tea in the corner. "Georgiana!" she cried, racing to her sister-in-law. Georgiana stood and embraced Elizabeth.

"Lizzie, I am so glad to see you here!" she exclaimed.

"I have not seen Mr. Darcy! Where is he?" asked Elizabeth.

"My brother is still upstairs. If he does not come down soon, I would suggest you go and check on him. For now, please help introduce me to some of these guests on behalf of my brother," Georgiana said, and Elizabeth agreed. Jane, on the other hand, did look for Mr. Bingley, but she did not seek him out. Instead, he sought her out.

"Miss Bennet," he said, bowing to her.

"Mr. Bingley," she said, curtsying.

"How do you do?" asked Mr. Bingley, his eyes on hers.

"Quite well, Mr. Bingley, and yourself?" Mr. Bingley nodded.

"Shall we dance?"

"Oh... Most certainly!" Mr. Bingley held out his hand for hers and she handed it to him, then he led her into the ballroom where a dance was about to start.

After about twenty minutes, Georgiana pulled Elizabeth aside. "I think that you must check on Fitzwilliam. Do you know where his room is?"

"I do," said Elizabeth. "I shall return shortly, hopefully with him."

"I wish you luck," said Georgiana as Elizabeth disappeared into the crowd. She climbed the stairs and went to where his room was located, finding the door open. She peeked inside and found him in his nightshirt sitting by the window in a chair, a fire in the fireplace. She crept in quietly, hoping not to startle him, but he heard her enter.

"To be or not to be - that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep - No more - and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep - To sleep - prechance to dream: ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life." Mr. Darcy was quoting Shakespeare's famous novel, _Hamlet_, and in a way that made Elizabeth's skin crawl: the soliloquy that Mr. Darcy was reciting was the soliloquy in which Hamlet was contemplating suicide.

"Oh, please, Mr. Darcy, no more!" cried Elizabeth.

"Why not? I find myself displaying similar feelings as Mr. Hamlet," said Mr. Darcy.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy, you must allow me to speak with you..."

"Why? Every time we speak, my heart breaks into smaller and smaller pieces." Elizabeth took the seat across from him.

"I have been foolish..."

"I haven't noticed."

"Mr. Darcy, please!"

"I wish to hear no more, Mrs. Darcy. Please, leave me to my peace."

"But Mr. Darcy-"

"Leave!" Elizabeth sighed and stood, taking a few steps away from him before stopping. She turned and faced him, a determined look on her face.

"No."

"Elizabeth, do not trifle with me..."

"I shall trifle with you all I please!" She neared him and knelt down beside him. "What has happened to my Mr. Darcy? The man I married was so tender despite my bitter words."

"Your bitter words destroyed him, and I am what remains."

"No, you are not. You are being silly, as I had been only a couple of months ago."

"Silly, you say?"

"Yes. You are very reminiscent of myself and I of you."

"I believe you to be the silly one." Elizabeth chuckled and took his hand.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy..." She stood, leaned over him and kissed his brow, then sat on his knee. Mr. Darcy was silent, staring at her and stuck gazing at her eyes. Elizabeth gently played with his hair. "My sweet, silly Fitzwilliam..." She was not sure if he was even sober, but she kissed him anyway. She kissed him more passionately than she did even when she called on him a fortnight before. Together, they tugged at each other's clothes, and Elizabeth was exposed in her corset and chemise and he completely shirtless. Elizabeth pressed her forehead to his and kissed it and Mr. Darcy's fingers were working the laces of the corset. Elizabeth giggled at his attempt and kissed him again.

"How do I untie this damn thing?" Mr. Darcy murmured as he became more and more frustrated with the laces of her corset.

"My Fitzwilliam, allow me," said Elizabeth, reaching back to untie the laces. She leaned against him as he loosened the corset and stroked his chest with her thumb. "My wonderful Fitzwilliam..." She kissed his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I never thought I would hear those words uttered from your beautiful lips," said Mr. Darcy, and he kissed her lips and tried to pull her corset off over her head.

"Oh, no... Not in _my _house!" came Miss Bingley's angry voice, and both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth looked up to see Miss Bingley standing in the doorway, the door having been left wide open.

"Oh, dear!" cried Elizabeth in shame, burying her face in Mr. Darcy's shoulder.

"I want her out! Out of this house!" cried Miss Bingley, striding to the couple and pulling Elizabeth from Mr. Darcy's arms. "Dress, you whore, and leave my house!" Mr. Darcy stood.

"Might I remind you, Miss Bingley, that Mrs. Darcy and I are _married_?" asked Mr. Darcy, taking his sobbing wife back into his arms. He pulled her arms through the sleeves of her dress and redid it in the back.

"I do not care. I want her out. _Now_," said Miss Bingley, and Mr. Darcy let out a sigh and looked at Elizabeth.

"My Lizzie, I will speak with Mr. Bingley. For now, I would like you to return to Longbourn and rest. My dearest, you are frightened beyond comprehension," he told his wife, and he gave her one last kiss before Miss Bingley dragged her out. Mr. Darcy thought himself a stupid fool for allowing Miss Bingley to catch him, but he also thought himself even more foolish for not challenging Miss Bingley's request to have Elizabeth removed from Netherfield. He was too drunk to be able to contemplate it properly, and he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was devastated. As she walked home alone in the dark freezing, she wondered why Mr. Darcy did not demand she stay. She feared that, secretly, Mr. Darcy loved Miss Bingley and had her in his bed at that very moment. She feared that he was having an affair with Miss Bingley and no longer desired her company. She wondered why he did not follow her. She cried during the last of the three miles of the walk back to Longbourn and ran, hoping that not one member of her family would notice her absence nor question her early departure.


	13. Chapter 13

Elizabeth was up very early the next morning because she had not slept at all during the night. She put on her boots, her cloak and her gloves to treat out in the newly-fallen snow. She could see the footprints that her family had left the night before in returning to Longbourn from the ball and the tracks that the carriage had made. As she walked around the house, she saw hoof prints from a horse - one that did not travel on that particular path. The stables were on the other side of the house, and this horse seemed to travel a different way. There were no footprints to accompany it until she came to the horse itself. She saw footprints where the rider must have dismounted it and then she met the face of the horse. She swore she felt her heart stop; this horse was Mr. Darcy's. She heard the sound of someone walking in the snow and nearly screamed when she came face-to-face with Mr. Darcy himself. He wore his coat over his nightshirt and seemed to have gotten up without dressing and rode his horse to Longbourn.

"M-Mr. Darcy..." Elizabeth stuttered, her eyes wide and on Mr. Darcy's.

"I had to see you," he replied, standing perhaps one meter away from her.

"Mr. Darcy... Why so early?"

"I knew you would be awake."

"I don't understand... You must be freezing!"

"Not quite. I am quite fine, actually... Elizabeth..."

"Yes?"

"Elizabeth... Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth..." He closed the space between them. "My dearest Lizzie..." He took her hand in his and kissed it. "My one and only love..." Elizabeth closed her eyes and enjoyed the kisses on her hands and wrists, then opened them again when she felt his hand on her face. "I love you..."

"Oh, Mr. Darcy... My Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth murmured, kissing his hands as he kissed her brow.

"Elizabeth..." She looked up at him. "I love you."

"My Fitzwilliam... I love you dearly, my Fitzwilliam." He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her, neither of them even focusing on their surroundings. A servant had seen them and ran off embarrassed, but Elizabeth was determined to show her Mr. Darcy - who had done so much for her and felt so much pain because of her - how much she loved him.

* * *

Mr. Darcy joined Elizabeth's family for breakfast and refused to sit anywhere but beside his wife, which was rather improper for a married couple. The two of them chatted away quietly and after breakfast, Mr. Darcy excused himself to return to Netherfield to dress. "Mr. Darcy, might I go with you?" asked Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy kissed her hands.

"I believe I would be much quicker if I were to go alone. I will return here within the hour. I promise I will," he told her, and he kissed her before leaving.

"Lizzie, you have never looked so happy," said Jane to her sister.

"I do not think I ever was until now..." said Elizabeth, and she ran upstairs to dress before Mr. Darcy returned. When he did, Mr. Bingley was with him and he asked to speak to Jane privately. Jane complied, and after a few minutes of silence, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy heard a cry of joy from Jane. Elizabeth was incredibly happy for her sister, knowing that Mr. Bingley had proposed, and in joy, she leapt into her husband's arms and he kissed her hair. "Fitzwilliam, Jane is to be married to Mr. Bingley!"

"I certainly have never seen him happier," said Mr. Darcy as his beloved took his face in her hands and kissed it.

"I cannot wait to hear the set date for the wedding!" Elizabeth exclaimed joyously as her sister and Mr. Bingley exited the drawing room.

"Oh, Lizzie!" Jane exclaimed as Mr. Bingley pushed past the group to Mr. Bennet's library. "He has proposed! Mr. Bingley has proposed! Mr. Darcy, I am so overjoyed!" Mr. Darcy embraced Jane when she ran to him to express her joy.

"I will be happy to accept Mr. Bingley as my brother," he told her, and Jane ran to Mr. Bennet's library to wait for Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth watched her overjoyed sister wait so eagerly and she felt Mr. Darcy's hand slide into her own. She looked up at him, smiled and turned to accept his embrace.

"Fitzwilliam, is there room for me at Netherfield?" she asked her husband.

"I believe that if I were to bring you to Netherfield after last night's event, Miss Bingley would perhaps turn mad," said Mr. Darcy.

"Is that a bad thing?" Mr. Darcy laughed and kissed the side of her head.

"Yes, my dearest, it is, even though you nor I are necessarily partial to her."

"There is not much room here at Longbourn and I do not wish to be separated from you." Mr. Darcy pressed his lips to her brow.

"Then allow us to remove ourselves to Pemberley."

"To Pemberley? Oh, Fitzwilliam... I would love to!"

"I shall prepare Georgiana and we shall leave sometime today. I do not know when, but when I am ready, I shall meet you here with the carriage."

"Must you leave, Fitzwilliam?"

"I shall return shortly. I love you, my dearest." He pressed his lips to hers and took his leave, while Elizabeth rushed upstairs to pack her things.

* * *

The Bennets were sad to see Elizabeth go, but they understood that she was a married woman and her place was by her husband's side. If he were three days away, then so was she. They took their leave and arrived at Pemberley three days later, Elizabeth both excited and nervous. She felt Mr. Darcy's hand squeeze her own and he bent over it and kissed it, then handed Elizabeth and Georgiana out of the carriage. Elizabeth gasped at the beauty of Pemberley surrounded by snow and she marveled at its grand appearance. She did not feel her husband tugging at her arm, but she was almost surprised when he lifted her up and carried her into the grand hall. While she stared at the intricate designs on the ceiling, he kissed her head and set her on her feet.

"I take that as a sign of interest?" he asked his wife, and Elizabeth nodded.

"It is so beautiful..." she murmured, and Mr. Darcy took her hand and led her on a tour of the estate, Elizabeth marveling at everything. When they came to the gallery, Elizabeth was faced with a bust of Mr. Darcy and she could not help but to stare at it. "You are a very handsome man, Fitzwilliam..." He chucked and held her in his arms, her back against his chest.

"If that is what you think, then I shall not challenge it," he said to her, lightly kissing her cheek. Elizabeth was delighted with the meal that was served for dinner, very much liking her husband's choices, and then he showed her to her bedchamber. "That door there adjoins this room to my own. Whenever you desire my company, all you must do is enter on your own will."

"Fitzwilliam, do you honestly think that I will ever sleep in that bed?" Mr. Darcy chuckled and kissed her.

"I would sincerely hope not." That evening, she did not. She joined her husband in his bedchamber and, since their wedding night, enjoyed a rather exciting and passionate evening.


	14. Chapter 14

In the spring of the year eighteen-hundred-and-twelve, Miss Jane Bennet and Mr. Charles Bingley were joined in holy matrimony to become Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and that same week, Elizabeth discovered that she was, again, with child. When she informed her husband of this, he was overjoyed. They both sincerely hope that this child would not meet the same fate as their first, and they were thankful that this child did not. On a warm day late in August, Elizabeth went into labor as she was dressing for the day, and Mr. Darcy paced outside of her bedchamber door for hours until he finally heard the cries coming from his newly born child. He waited anxiously to be allowed in, and when he was, he ran to Elizabeth's side.

"My dearest," he said, kissing his wife's hand. "How are you?"

"Exhausted, but all right," Elizabeth murmured quietly, smiling at her husband sleepily. He kissed her brow. "Will you not ask of our child?"

"I fear it will not like me," said Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth laughed.

"My Fitzwilliam, if you do not want this child to like you, then you have the power to control that. I would advise against it, but I can assure you that our child will love you."

"Might I see our child?" Elizabeth kissed his hand and pointed to a bassinet. Mr. Darcy slowly approached it and, looking inside, found his beautiful child lying inside of it fast asleep. "Lizzie... Our child is... Our child is... The most beautiful child in the world..." He carefully picked up his child and sat with it on the bed. "Might I ask its sex?"

"That is something this child shall have in common with me."

"A daughter? She is beautiful... Might we call her Rosalind? It was my mother's name..."

"Of course!" Elizabeth could not help but cry ever so slightly watching her Mr. Darcy carrying her infant daughter. My Darcy was too busy staring at his gorgeous newborn daughter to notice.

* * *

Little Rosalind Darcy was two months of age when Elizabeth received a letter from Mr. Bennet. It sounded urgent for a letter from her father, and she nearly fainted when she read its contents. Mr. Darcy, who had been holding little Rosalind on his lap, did not fail to notice his wife's distress. "Elizabeth, what is it?" he asked his wife, handing his infant daughter to Georgiana and kneeling beside Elizabeth.

"Oh, Fitzwilliam, it is Lydia! She has run off with Mr. Wickham!" Elizabeth exclaimed to her husband, and she heard Georgiana gasp. Mr. Darcy let out a sigh and kissed his wife's hands.

"Dearest, do inform me why I am not surprised," he said to her.

"Oh, I am not either, but we cannot allow her to shame our family in this way! Mary and Kitty shall never marry!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Shh... Dearest, I shall do all that I can do in my power to save your family from shame. Your family is now my family, and thus I shall save my sisters from shame," said Mr. Darcy, and he kissed Elizabeth's brow. "Allow me to read the letter. I shall figure out what to do from there." Elizabeth gave him the letter and he left the room with it. Georgiana sat beside her with a worried expression.

"Oh, Lizzie, I fear for your sister! Mr. Wickham is an awful man!" she exclaimed.

"I know very little of him, but from what I do know of him, he has never been kind to Fitzwilliam," said Elizabeth.

"Oh, never... Mr. Wickham, he... He tried to do the same with me as he is doing with your dear sister." Elizabeth gasped loudly enough to frighten Rosalind.

"Oh, sweet Rosie..." She took her child from Georgiana and held her on her lap until the child calmed. "What is prompting Mr. Wickham to chase my sister? She has no dowry!"

"I do not know, Lizzie, but whatever his motive is, it cannot be good. We must not let Fitzwilliam lose his head over this, however." Elizabeth worried for the sake of her husband, having no sympathy for her younger sister. Her younger sister had been warned by obvious signs, but was too stupid to see them.


End file.
